


Immersion

by BlueMonkey, ThornyHedge



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Descriptive M/M sex, Durincest, F/M, Fíli and Kíli Brotherly Love, Gaming, M/M, MMORPGs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-03-30 00:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 86,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3915727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueMonkey/pseuds/BlueMonkey, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornyHedge/pseuds/ThornyHedge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Middle Earth, a game still in early beta testing, promises to be the most immersive MMORPG experience ever.  At least, according to Thorin Oakenshield and his team of game developers at Erebor Software. </p><p>The problem is, Middle Earth is too immersive.  Players are being pulled into the game and can't get back out.  What happens when the most recent victims of the game's immersion are Thorin's nephews?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. He Really Is A Newb

**Author's Note:**

> Another wild ride, friends. Put on your headphones, log in and join us. And don't forget to stock up on health potions.

“C’mon, Kili!” Fili called out to his seven-year-old brother, handing him a long handle he’d unscrewed from one of their mother's brooms. “This is your weapon.”

“It’s just a stick,” Kili muttered, dark eyes clouded in anger. Fili had two plastic silver swords in his hands.

“It’s not _just_ a stick,” Fili, eleven and wise, told him. “It’s a bo staff. Like Donatello on Ninja Turtles! It’s cool!”

“I want swords, too,” Kili pouted. “Two swords like you, Fee.”

“Well,” Fili looked down at his precious swords, gifts he’d received from Uncle Thorin for his last birthday. “How about you can have one of mine? But then you’ll need a shield.”

“What’s a shield?” 

“It’s something you hold in your other hand, to protect you!” Fili looked around the backyard, then took one of the metal lids of a nearby trashcan. The smell of garbage wafted out into the summer air. “Like this!” he held the lid up in his off hand, affecting a warrior stance.

“Cool!” Kili cried, the sword Fili offered him quite forgotten. He picked up the broom handle and started swinging it around while Fili deflected the blows. “I’m a ninja turtle!”

“We’re adventurers,” Fili corrected him. “And we’re going on a quest.”

“What’s a quest?” Kili cocked his head to the side.

“A puzzle to solve,” Fili explained. “And we get treasure in the end. But we have to take along some lunch. Quests take a while.”

“Can we have cookies? Mom made cookies yesterday!” Kili brightened.

"Yeah, I think we probably can," Fili cuffed Kili gently on the side of his dark head. "C'mon, Kee," he chuckled, pulling his little brother with one arm into a half hug and leading him back into the house.

  


**SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER...**  


At one glance, the City was overwhelming.

In a pastel-tinted dawn that appeared to be crafted by a master artisan, the nearly golden rooftops of the south gate were as impressive as that which lay beyond. In the young man's life, he had never seen so many houses as there were in this place. And the City thrived. Market stalls just past the gate were offering goods ranging from the common necessities to expensive luxury items. Merchants shouted for attention from his left and right. When one did not, there were gestures equally drawing his attention to buy sundries. And the buildings—they were so tall!

Ori was slightly intimidated by the splendor of it. He clutched his piece of paper, checking every minute if his pouch with its limited contents was still there. He had heard tales of the big city, of course, though nothing could have prepared him for this.

Despite being here with specific directions, he was lost after just three turns.

"Get plenty of those green potions!" he heard a voice nearby call out to someone. "And be sure to stock up on that stamina regeneration soup!"

"You planning to give me some silver to help pay for it?" another voice, belonging to a blonde youth stalking into the marketplace, asked over his shoulder.

His companion, a taller brunet, followed after, adjusting a quiver of arrows over his shoulder.

"Well met," the blond nodded to Ori when Ori looked up helplessly lost, eyes making short work of his armor and equipment. "You're new, aren't you?"

"I—" Ori looked around. The buildings were towering, making the city look like a maze from the low alley in which he was standing. There were taverns here and there, a bridge crossing the street overhead and species he had never seen before. Was this truly what the big city was about? "I'm looking for the Wayfarer's Market," he said. "I promised my brothers I'd sell their goods... but I seem to have gotten myself lost." He looked the two men over. They looked like guards—fighters, perhaps—and they seemed to know their way around. The way they dressed themselves indicated they had to be traveling a lot. "Would you know where to find it?"

"It's close," the blonde told him. "My brother and I are headed there now. Do you want to come with us? I'm Fili, and he's Kili."

"You look hungry." The dark-haired one reached into his rucksack and pulled out a round piece of something brown. He handed it to Ori. "It's low level food I have left over. It's no good for me anymore, but it should tide you over."

"Oh. Oh, goodness, thank you." Ori held out his hand. Dori, his brother, always said to be polite to strangers if they gave you something. On your guard, but polite. And these seemed like nice young men. "I'm Ori. I—that's a very strong grip! Do you two work in the mines?"

"No," the brunet—Kili, Ori reminded himself — said. "Mining uses up too many skill points. We've just been practicing with our weapons, trying to level up."

"Your strength will go up too, once you get your level three weapon," Fili assured him. "It gets even better at level seven."

"Level three weapon," replied Ori with dread. "I don't like weapons." He would also never have the money to afford a level three of anything. He followed the two out into what seemed to be a major thoroughfare, trying to catch up with them. Ori felt like he was dressed in a beggar's rags next to their fine attire. "So what level are you two?"

"We're almost level thirteen!" the brunet boasted. "We've been working on it for days. In fact, we've got the city sewers on our mind for later today. You wouldn't believe what's down there!"

"Are you a healer then?" Fili asked, fiddling with the hilt of one of his swords. "Or maybe a mage?"

More embarrassed than ever under the scrutiny of these two men, Ori kept his gaze glued on the floor. "I—I suppose people always told me I'm good with words. I'm not any good at it though. Just small scratches and minor injuries, and most of the time I think a good bandage does more of the work than me saying the right thing. No, I'm here because I have things to sell. _Get back home safely and stay out of funny businesses,_ that's what Dori always says. Um, my brother."

"Ah, a scribe!" The brunet nodded thoughtfully, his eyes twinkling. "When you level a bit, you'll be able to create spells—of all sorts."

"We need more of your type around here," the blond agreed. "Seems that everyone wants to be a bard or an archer, like my brother."

"Oh, and you can't go back," Kili said. "You've left the tutorial. The only way you'll see your brothers again now is if they come adventure with us."

Ori nearly dropped his bag. " _T-tutorial?_ I didn't—" He had no interest in being an adventurer! Well, if he thought about it, that was not entirely true. But Ori certainly couldn't afford it. He wasn't rich, and he wasn't heroic. His brothers depended on him. He couldn't go running of into dungeons, now could he?

"I need to get to the market," he said primly. "Where can I find it?"

"This _is_ the market," Fili raised his arms and gestured. "One of the many in Middle Earth. There's tons of vendor NPCs, so it's easy to get turned around."

Kili nodded in agreement. "The first time we came here, we accidentally wandered into the Thieves' Den. That didn't go well."

Ori quickly shook his head. "Oh no, best not go there. I'll just be looking to buy and sell rations, really. Well," he said awkwardly, confused about many more things than he had been that morning—what was an NPC, anyway?— "it was nice meeting you."

Before either of the fighters could respond, someone suddenly ran in front of them and cried, "Monsters! Monsters in the mine!"

Kili's head shot up and he locked eyes with his companion. "Fili, we have to go there!"

"I don't know, Kee." Fili pulled a piece of paper from his rucksack and studied it. "The creatures there might be too challenging for us to fight."

"But what if we took along a third? A healer?" Fili gestured at Ori.

Kili turned around to Ori slowly. "A third person would work."

\- - - - -

The entrance to the mines at the edge of the city was a menacing black hole roughly hewn into a rock wall, looking at it from the outside. It would never be a place people visited for its beauty.

Inside however, Ori paused to absorb the beauty of many crystal arteries running through rock, several blue chunks sticking out. Some of them seemed to give off a faint glow on their own. He tried to memorize the details to bring home to his brothers later. "I'm not any good," he warned his company. "You'll have to help me out a little."

"Just stay behind us," Fili pulled a sword from his sheath. "Man, I can't wait until I'm level fifteen and can start dual-wielding. I feel so helpless right now."

"You _could_ have opted for a bow," Kili reminded him.

"Yeah, like every other cookie cutter rogue walking down the street," Fili scoffed. "No thank you, little brother. What's your weapon then, Ori?"

"…I've got a walking stick. Is that alright?" Ori tried, just as Kili called out, "This cookie cutter is two levels higher than you! How did that happen? Oh wait, I _practiced_."

“You got up early this morning and outlevelled me,” Fili deadpanned. “Besides, archery's overpowered. Everyone in beta says so. But a good warrior is a priceless commodity." He paused to take in Ori's weapon. "That's not a stick. It's a staff. Hand to hand combat, or spells. I guess you'll figure it out as we go along. In the meantime, just stay behind us. We'll power level you until you catch up." Fili's blue eyes twinkled. He patted Ori on the shoulder. 

Ori, who had no idea what was happening to him, simply tagged along. These two seemed to know what they were doing, even if they were certainly eager to look for danger. He would help them get what they wanted, then hurry back home. That sounded like a good plan. 

Kili let Fili go on ahead. He knew he'd get flack for it later, since he was two levels higher, but he was still an archer, and archers needed the distance. That made him fall in line next to Ori. Kili looked over his staff. "First time in a fight?" he asked. "Don't worry, nothing gets past Fili and me. Just focus on keeping us in one piece, and leave the monsters to us." 

"Yeah." Ori looked down at his weapon. In the dimness of the cave, it seemed even more pathetic. As if he get close enough to any monsters to actually hit them! 

"Hold up," Fili whispered up ahead of them. "Ugh, do you smell that?" _Smell?_ Fili barely had a moment to ponder what he’d sensed before he was set upon. 

The other two had little time to respond, as a pair of misshapen, grey creatures came round the corner behind Fili and charged at him, roaring. 

Ori just about fainted when he saw the first of two uglies rounding the corner. "Mahal, what is that?!" he peeped. The staff—his walking cane, really; he didn't know how he was going to use it for spells—shook unsteadily in his trembling hands. 

"Trolls," Kili grinned. "Strong, but slow. Makes leveling up very easy, these fellows. We got lucky. No one else is here farming them. We can stay awhile." 

"You keep saying _leveling up_ ," Ori wrinkled his nose. 

"Oh, you'll know what it is when it happens. Cover me, I'm going in!" 

The first arrow lodged itself in the sickly green meat of the first monster, which let out a stomach-churning growl and spun around to meet its attacker. 

Fili whirled and slashed at the other monster three times, grunting with the exertion. He was going in for a fourth whack when Kili finished the beast off with an arrow. It groaned and lay still next to its comrade. 

Ori suddenly felt a warm glow in his mid-section. He let out a gasp. 

Next to him, Kili clapped a hand on his shoulder twice, then walked forward to examine the dead bodies. Already the monsters were beginning to dissolve into the floor as if a divine hand had fashioned them from clay. 

Ori didn't know what to do with the glow, when just like that, it faded into a pleasant hum. Ori didn't know why, but he felt like he could handle the world a bit better. Without conscious thought, he focused his attention on Fili and Kili—and then they too began to glow, though theirs was a bright green. 

Fili gave a surprised gasp. "You _can_ heal!" 

"I-I didn't know I could do that!" Ori looked down at his staff, which still glowed from his exertions. 

"Too bad you're only level two," Kili muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder. 

"He leveled on two kills!" Fili exclaimed. "He'll be caught up in no time." 

Ori didn't mention that he hadn't quite been interested in leveling up. It was a nice feeling though, to know that he'd be better at dealing with a dangerous world from now on. He tried what he had just done again, this time aiming only at Kili's shoulder. "Does this help?" 

Kili shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it, I've got potions. But we've got to get you to a better level. Let's just clear the mines, then check if the library has some books that can help." 

"And treasure. Maybe a shield for me," Fili mumbled. He would have rather been using two swords—he was sure his brother was already sick of hearing it—but perhaps a better shield in his off-hand might be a good idea in the meantime. He was still using the cheap wooden starter buckler he’d been given and it barely gave any protection at all. 

"What type of armor should I be wearing, d'you suppose?" Ori asked Kili as the pair started off in the direction Fili was walking. 

"Robes, most likely. Better let a specialist tend to that once we get back in town." Kili walked with a merry gait, one that belied having just killed two creatures for sport. 

But when Ori looked behind him, the monsters were gone. 

"Fili? Kili? Oho, fancy seeing you lads here!" 

A medium-sized man—not a fighter, though clearly cunning—approached them from deeper in the mine. He was wearing an impressive toolkit from his belt, almost as impressive as his collection of daggers and pouches. Had he been there all along? "What's this, a newcomer? What's your name, lad?" Without waiting for an answer, he took Ori's hand and shook it. "Bofur, at your service." 

“We grouped together a bit earlier,” Fili explained to Ori. 

"I'm Ori," Ori told him, timidly. "I met these two in the market and they felt I needed to go on an adventure. I must admit, I'm new to all this. W-what brings you here?" 

"Let me guess, they dragged you along." Bofur threw a delighted look at the two warriors. "Typical. You can trust them though. They split the earnings fair and square, these two. They helped me out at the City Square this morning." 

"Which can't be said about Bofur," Kili interjected, equally amused. "Bofur's a thief. A professional one, one that can pick locks and disable traps—not one of those market hoodlums—but looking to make a better profit whenever he can nonetheless. And Bofur is undoubtedly here because of the rumors of dark powers at work in the lower levels of the mine." 

"Dark powers means plenty of loot," Bofur shrugged. 

"Loot?" Ori looked around helplessly. "You mean treasure?" 

"And weapons, and armor and potions." Fili clapped him on the shoulder. "We have _got_ to get you out of those novice rags, especially if you're going to be our healer." 

Ori had given up protesting. It seemed to be getting him items, which he could sell and return home with more profit than expected. Secretly however all the excitement attracted him. His brothers wouldn't be happy, yet that was part of the charm. He was spreading his own wings. Nonetheless he replied in a squeaky voice, "Rags? They're my best robes." 

A rumbling sound like that of falling boulders, intermingled with a rush of maniacal laughter, informed them that they were getting close to another encounter, which concerned him. What if they met a monster that was too strong? They could— 

"Goblin pack," Kili snorted. "Piece of cake. Bofur, are you with us?" 

"You bet," the older man nodded, hefting a pair of daggers which Fili eyed covetously. "Are you tanking for us, then, Fili? You should really see about getting a metal shield." 

"Unless you happen to see another warrior in the vicinity," Fili sighed. "Yes, I'm tanking. But if you have any buffs for my dexterity and stamina, I'd certainly welcome them." 

"Do you see me carrying a lute, wearing ruffles around my cuffs?" Bofur raised a brow. "Me first. I'll get up behind him, so we do more damage." 

"What's tanking?" Ori leaned in and whispered to Kili. 

"Meat shield," Kili grinned. That answer seemed to confuse Ori further. "He'll take the damage and block the path, so the monsters can't reach us,” Kili explained, “which means we can attack from a distance." 

"That is really messed up." 

Fili scoffed. "Ah well," he said, hefting his sword, "it's not so bad—provided I have a useful healer, buffer and some ranged DPS backing me up." At the vacant look in Ori's eyes he went on, "And that would be you three. We have to hope that somewhere in this dungeon there's a nice shield drop for me so I can better—oof!" he let out a surprised cry as a fireball hit him in the chest, singeing his hair. Then, two goblins wielding short spears attacked him at once. "Kili!" he cried out! "Bofur!" 

Ori had no clue how to make himself useful as he watched the other three throw themselves onto the pack. Five short goblins, little over half Fili's size, attacked from all sides. They became a blur of which Ori had trouble keeping track. He watched as Kili shot arrow after arrow. Several missed, but the majority found their way into shoulders and legs, until a shot in the chest would finish the energy pent up in the injured goblin, and it would fall lifelessly to the floor. 

Didn't these creatures have lives, he wondered. Didn't they simply want to continue their lives like any other living being, before accidentally running into Fili and Kili and being finished? It was a tad unfair. 

"New boy!" Bofur brought him out of his reverie. "I could use some healing." 

"You all right?" Kili asked Ori, slinging his bow back over his shoulder. It was remarkable how Kili seemed to have an endless supply of arrows, no matter how many he sent into the fray. 

"Ori? Are you with us?" Fili called out, giving the last dead goblin a final kick for good measure. "The blood and guts aren't too much for you, are they?" 

Pale and out of it, Ori shook his head. "I can handle it. Can I—can I do something?" 

Ori had leveled again during the previous fight, as evidenced by the golden glow around him. 

Fili walked towards him, clutching his shoulder. "If you could, from time to time, toss one of those heals of yours my way, I'd really be grateful. You might draw some aggro, but don't worry. I'll taunt them off you. Remember, if I die, you'll follow shortly after." 

"That's reassuring." Ori gave up on all the new words he was learning today. He squeezed his eyes shut and focused. It struck him as odd that he was starting to be able to feel the energy of the people around him when he really put his mind to it. Fili's—although he stood right next to him—was fainter. 

"Don't overdo it, kiddo," Bofur said. "Fili can manage until you get better. Those were just a couple of goblins. Wait until you see what comes when you're deeper in." 

"We're halfway there already," Kili grinned, checking his inventory of agility potions. "Don't go scaring him off, Bofur." 

"He needs to know what's coming," Fili reasoned. "If I drop, they'll go after the healer. They always do." Fili gave a little shrug, eyes trying to hold Ori's, and smiled reassuringly. "I can already tell we are going to make a good team." 

"Wait. Hold on, why are you talking like that about dying?" 

"Talking like what?" Fili shrugged. "Dying's a part of it. No one gets by without dying ever." 

"It's pretty much unheard of," Kili concurred. 

"But you—don't you want to live to see another day?" Ori stared at them. 

They all looked at him, smiling at Ori’s naivety. 

"You know that if we die, it's not permanent, right?" Kili asked him, eyes wide. 

"You just respawn at the nearest deity temple," Bofur explained. "For us, that's the shrine of Mahal." 

"And we lose some experience, too," Fili added. "But not a lot. Enough to be annoying, sure, but it’s easily gotten back." 

The monster hunting Ori could understand, just as all of the riddles they had been saying to him were sort of acceptable in their overkill-sort-of way. But Kili's revelation was too much. "No, we don't," he said. "You're saying everyone who died just went to a temple and never came back? I refuse—I can't—" He gasped for air. 

Ori had fainted before any of them knew what was happening. 

Fili knelt over him, then looked up at the others, eyebrows raised, and sighed, "Oh boy. He really is a newb."

\- - - - -

When Ori opened his eyes, birds twittered somewhere above him. His vision focused on Bofur sitting next to him. He had been lying on the grass.

"Hello, young cleric," Bofur's eyes shone. "Welcome back." 

Kili stopped leaning over him, and the sun behind him blinded the young man's eyes at once. Ori squinted and raised a hand, shielding himself from the bright light. "Um. Oh dear, this doesn't look like the city. Where are we? Is this a temple?" He remembered why he had passed out, tasting what was left of the nausea. No, it was quite necessary that he took it slowly. 

"The gardens," Kili said. "We're just out of the city. There was a passage from the mines that came up here. I doubt you'll want to go back to the city though." He nudged in the direction of the metropolis. Plumes of smoke ascended from its towers; it had been lain to waste while they had been in the mines. "Here." He offered Ori a bottle that contained a clear liquid. "Drink it, it'll be good for you." 

Fili sat nearby on a stone bench, sharpening his precious solitary sword with a whetstone. He smiled when Ori looked his way. "I was worried about you," he said. "Then I remembered how scary it was the first time I died. It's not preferable, of course. But after a while you'll find it's not such a big deal. At least we got you to level four before you keeled over. You’d been poisoned. You have a spell to cure that, you know." 

Bofur explained, "From the goblin's arrow. Sneaks up on you, that does." 

"...I just came to sell goods." Ori sighed. He was in for it now. He was still off from—Bofur had to be right—poison working its way out of his system, though he could feel an unexpected mental endurance return. "My brothers shall have my head. I have been gone for too long. Wait until I tell them what I managed to learn on the way. How does this levelling work, anyway? Fili and Kili are around thirteen, and I'm four right now, so you can't have been doing this for long." 

"Are you questioning my skill?" Kili nudged him with his bow. 

Fili snorted out a laugh. "We just started a few days ago." 

For what had to be the fiftieth time, Ori was lost for words. "Can you take me back to the city?" he asked. "Wait, before you do, are the monsters gone? Did you get your shield?" 

Fili sighed. "The final boss in the mine was a bit too much for us. I went through all my health potions, but it wasn't enough. We all ended up here, dead. Well, except for Kili. He ran, like a coward." 

"I died? Really?" Hadn't Ori simply fainted? He didn't feel like he thought being dead would. 

"Oh, you were the easiest," Bofur acquiesced. "You just lay there. Of course, none of us could heal without you, and health potions only go so far. I suppose that's a _welcome to the club_ for you. D'you really have to go? Healers are tough to find, and you seem like a nice fellow. It pays well." 

Kili chuckled. "Technically it doesn't _pay._ " he grinned. "But there's loot—armor, weapons, jewelry, spell scrolls. Sometimes, even a mount." 

"You should come along," Fili insisted with that same earnest look in his eyes. It was obvious he had forgiven the young healer for not saving his life back in the cave. "Do you really want to be out there alone, Ori?" 

"Does that mean I can't see my brothers? They're all the family I have..." 

"I'm a little confused," Kili knit his brow. "Aren't your brothers here, in Middle Earth?" 

"I'm sure we'll run into them along the way," Bofur assured him. "Right, Fili?" 

The blond put his hand over Ori's and squeezed. "I'm sure of it." 

"...All right." Ori nodded. "I'm actually on an errand for them, so if we could run into them pretty soon, that'd be great. Otherwise they'll worry, see." He looked at them to ask if that was alright. 

"I'm sure we'll find them," Bofur assured him. He seemed mostly unconcerned that the city behind them had been attacked. 

"You guys want to try the mines again, with Ori healing us?" Fili asked them. 

"Not really," Bofur shrugged. "I'm sure the place is crowded with adventurers by now. Though I'm curious as to who set the monsters loose. The mines are usually highly regulated. Could be that someone in the city knows more." 

Sitting down next to Ori, conveniently located to enjoy the warmth of the sun, Kili looked up at plumes of smoke from beyond the city walls. "Are you sure?" 

"Set them loose?" Ori wondered. As if someone could control a hoard of goblins! 

"There are forces of evil at work in Middle Earth," Fili told him solemnly. "Evil wizards, orcs, dragons and, of course, The Goblin King himself." 

The name echoed between their small company several times. What was left of the peaceful world view only someone from a small town could have, was shattered at the very idea. 

Kili patted him on the back. "Don't worry. By the time we get to that guy, we'll be strong enough to deal with it." 

"But, doesn't this Goblin King just revive in a nearby temple if you kill it? What's the point?" 

"Well," Fili's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Yes, and no. He doesn't really respawn at temples. He's not like us. He sort of just stays hidden for a bit, then reappears in the same spot as before, waiting for someone else to kill him." 

"It's best," Bofur nodded emphatically, "if you don't think too much into all of this, kid. It's supposed to be fun." 

Ori opened and closed his mouth. He sighed. "Well, let's get to the city then."

\- - - - -

The streets were as deserted as anyone had ever seen them. In the largest city of the continent, that was unsettling even for Bofur who, at level twenty-five, turned out to be the veteran of the group. "D'you think this means we should stock up on health potions?" he wondered aloud upon noticing that the market stalls too were abandoned in haste. "No one will know it was us. Can't hurt, right?"

"You have the biggest bags, and the most space," Kili reminded him. 

"This doesn't feel right," Fili frowned, holding a couple of unattended loaves of bread up in either hand. "It's stealing, isn't it? Oh my god!" he exclaimed, tossing the loaves aside. "Look!" He lifted the corner of a collapsed market tent to reveal a discarded display of armor and weapons. His eyes lit up when he found a smart, lightweight round shield and lifted it up to test its heft. 

"Stealing," Kili reminded him. "Think about that when you walk past that lovely, very useful shield. Because you are going to. Right?" 

"Right?" Ori echoed. 

Bofur was packing several health potions into his belt when he halted. "Hey, don't look at me." 

Fili laughed gleefully, strapping the shield onto his left arm. He held it up, swinging it around protectively. "This is brilliant!" he announced. He leaned over and picked up a pair of falchions that lay nearby. "I know I can't use these yet, but it can't hurt to be prepared, right?" A modest holster for both weapons lay nearby. 

Ori, meanwhile, had located a rack of beautiful robes in every color of the rainbow. He ran his fingers over the soft, flowing fabrics, and settled on a pale green one that felt right under his scrutiny. He vowed to himself to return for the merchant later and pay him for it. 

Kili took it out of the rack before he could change his mind, and held it before him. "I know just what goes with that," he grinned. 

Ten minutes later, they were all donned in new armor, carrying as many potions as they could carry, and walked up the street like they owned it. 

Ori didn't feel so bad about nicking only robes and some improvements for his staff when he looked from side to side and inspected the gear of his new friends. 

Kili had decked himself out in supple leather, and so had Bofur. Bofur's was a bit fancier, Ori noted. Fili had procured some chain mail for himself, and an assortment of weapons to go with his sword. 

"I can't use plate until I'm level 20," he explained. "So you're going to have to keep levelling and working on your heals. After that, we can—" 

A roar cut off the rest of his thought. A quintet of shambling creatures headed towards them from a nearby alleyway. They must have once been human. What was left was badly burned, possibly dead and definitely reanimated. 

"Zombies!" Kili howled, nailing one in the forehead with an arrow without a second thought. 


	2. Part of Something Bigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's more than one way to take care of a zombie. The band of adventurers grows a bit larger.

"Zombies?!" Ori flailed. He dropped his staff in shock. Zombies had been Nori's way of telling bedtime horror stories when Ori had been a kid. Dori had always silenced his wayward brother and assured him that those creatures didn't exist. There was no such thing, he would insist. They were only make-believe.

Ori also remembered that other detail Nori had always been keen to include in his stories. He watched the targeted creature rise from the impact as if the arrow lodged between his eyes did not exist.

You couldn't kill a zombie with weapons, unless you decapitated it.

Fili must have heard the same stories. He gave a grunt of exertion and swung his sword at the aforementioned persistent zombie, severing its head from its body in a single blow. He gave a moment's pause to see if it rose again. When it lay still, he tossed one of his stash of swords to his brother. "Come then, Kili! Make yourself useful!" 

A moment later, one of the zombies closed its cold hands around Fili's throat. "Ori!" the blond croaked. "Help me!"

Ori looked at his staff and back at Fili. Fili wouldn't be helped if Ori continued to heal him, as the zombie had an iron grip and would just continue to squeeze the life out of him. So Ori raised the weapon over his head to use as a bludgeoning tool, when Kili saw him and called out, "Not like that! Zombies are undead! Heal _them!_ "

"...That makes no sense!"

Kili grinned. "That's what you've been saying for the last couple of hours, Ori. Do it."

Bofur sliced the head off another zombie while Ori frowned as he contemplated Kili's words. Black blood spurted everywhere.

With an exasperated sigh and his stomach churning with the idea of Fili actually dying in front of him, Ori adjusted his stance so that he was targeting the zombie instead. He raised his staff and willed the zombie good health. When nothing happened, he desperately tried again. By this time, Fili had fallen to his knees.

The zombie released its hold on Fili after the third heal. "I—" it said, looking down at its own hands as if it couldn't believe what it was doing. Another second passed. Its flesh began to turn pink and healthy. The singed parts of his scalp regrew thick red hair. "W-what happened to me?" the man asked. "What happened to the city?"

Bofur pulled away from the last zombie he was fighting when he saw what had happened behind him. He nudged Ori in its direction, while focusing his attention on the villager. "You're from this city? You mean, all these people—" He gestured at the fallen creatures. Bofur was becoming paler. Monsters are monsters though, right?"

"I'm no monster!" the man proclaimed. "I'm Gloin! I'm a blacksmith. In fact, I made the very swords you carry," he seethed. "I had just received word from my brother to pack up and leave the city, when we were attacked by zombies. There was chaos. I... I hit my head and I don't remember anything else."

"We cannot cure everyone!" Fili exclaimed, looking around them for signs of more undead.

"We could try, couldn't we?" Ori winced. Gloin hadn't mentioned his staff or robes, but Ori felt sufficiently guilty about having nabbed them nonetheless. "Or maybe people any one of us recognizes? Would health potions work?"

Kili's mouth formed an 'oh'. "We should head back to the market stalls!" he called. "Stock up! I'm sure Mr. Gloin wouldn't mind if we used his items to save people, right? Perhaps he could lend us a hand?" Kili personally thought that was a brilliant plan—if only to ease his conscience because of having just offed several villagers.

"I could be of good use to you lads," Gloin told them. "I'm a level forty-two warrior."

At this news, Fili lowered his head in shame. Picking up on that, Ori turned to Oin. "Yes, please do come with us. Fili was only just complaining how he can't yet dual wield. It would be nice to have another warrior with us."

"I'm an axe man myself," Gloin preened. "A big two-hander."

"I did just take up a shield," Fili reminded them all that he wasn't completely hopeless.

"You did," Bofur acquiesced, while Kili slung his arms around Fili's shoulders and hugged him from behind. "Cheer up," he said so none of the others could hear, "you'll level a lot faster with him around. We can save more people, too. We'll be fine."

"You're right," Fili nodded, leaning into the touch. "Of course, you're right. It was just kinda fun saving the day."

Kili chuckled and squeezed Fili closer. "Insufferable," he whispered.

"I'm not sure sticking around town is such a good idea." Ori looked around nervously. The sound of the undead still surrounded them.

"My family and my brother are in a village on the outskirts," Gloin told them. "I have other friends there to who can help us."

"Does that mean we'll leave this city to its fate?" Kili pursed his lips. It was no longer a matter of harvesting experience to become stronger—he had friends of his own in this city, people he had fought with. And it was a very large city. "I've heard zombie populations spread quickly. How far is this village? Is it doable?"

"Half an hour by horse," Gloin replied. "My brother can be of help, I promise. He’s a right powerful healer. We can root out the source, but we need to be stronger in numbers first. With just the five of us, we'll be overrun."

"But..." Ori bit nervously at his lower lip, "We can't ride horses, can we? Fili said we aren't allowed to until we're level twenty?"

"Is anyone going to notice if we borrow a few horses in this chaos?" Bofur told him.

It turned out that no one did. From a livery nearby they pilfered a quintet of mares. The stablemaster had long since run off, or been turned undead himself. 

The trip that followed to make it to Gloin's house was harrowing. Ori was unsteady in his saddle, as were Kili and Fili, especially when the zombies drew too close and they had to dispatch or cure them. Having Gloin at the front of the group gave them more confidence than they had had before—there truly was safety in numbers here in Middle Earth—but no one liked having to kill someone who had been human, and they resorted to that measure only if the healing spells were ineffective or not fast enough.

Ori's heart was beating fast. Before today, he had never assisted in killing monsters; nor had he returned a man from the dead, or saved people who were becoming friends for that matter. He had never been bold enough to ride a horse, least of all with strangers who were nice to him. He clung to the reins of his horse, trying to keep himself astride well enough. The city was falling into chaos and it troubled him, but Ori enjoyed the pleasant sun and the feeling of being a part of something bigger.

"We're here," Gloin said much too soon for his liking. He hopped off his horse and stared at the mayhem around his house, aghast. "Oin?" he called out. "Gimli?"

No answer came. The house remained quiet. Gloin stared at it desperately. "Gimli?" he asked quieter. "Son?"

"Nobody is here," whispered Ori.

"They have to be. They..."

"We should look around," Bofur offered. "Perhaps they are with your friends." 

Just as they were about to turn away and look elsewhere, a tiny window on the third floor opened.

"Dad?!" a voice called out, and a young man with fiery red hair stuck his head out the window. "Oh, thank Mahal! Dad! Uncle Oin, he made it!"

"That's my boy, Gimli!" Gloin puffed out his chest proudly. "He's a level nine warrior, last I saw him."

Ori pulled his robes about him tighter, aware that he was still the lowest rank, even with a kid that couldn't have been older than ten. "Is he coming with us too?" he asked.

"He's just a kid," Kili started.

"But we can't leave him here alone," Bofur sighed.

"He may be young," Gloin told them, "but he's already quite gifted with an axe. You'll see."

"We'll be down in a few minutes, Dad!" Gimli called down to them. "We barricaded ourselves in the attic when we heard about the zombies. We uh, barricaded ourselves pretty good."

"And smart, too," Fili nodded. "His hair's even redder than yours, Ori," he smiled, catching Ori's eye.

"Are you really sure you need me around?" Ori wanted to know. "There are so many of you now, and you've stocked up on health potions now." He was feeling a bit redundant, being the lowest level of them all, and a healer at that.

"Of _course_ we need you!" Kili exclaimed before Fili could. 

"A healer's a valuable commodity, lad," Gloin told him. "My brother Oin might be a high level healer, it's true, but his reflexes have gotten a bit slow over time. If it's knowledge you're after, he can teach you a great deal."

"You've already saved my life more than once," Fili reminded Ori. "I'd understand if you wanted to leave us and find your brothers, but I can't abide by the idea of you running around the world alone. You're so... nice."

Ori flushed a deep red. "I wouldn't—I wouldn't go out into the world alone. I wouldn't like that. Your brother," he turned to Gloin, "could he teach me useful things? Like how to turn more zombies, or how to turn them faster? I do want to go with you, I just don't want to be in the way. And to be honest, I'm a little worried about my brothers. Do you think the zombie plague spread to Brink?"

"Clerics have plenty of spells to ward and help the undead as they become higher level," Gloin assured him, but his eyes were on the front door of the home in front of him.

"Not only that," Bofur said, also avoiding Ori’s question. "You also get powerful heals and even some damage spells."

"Zombies are scary, but they're slow and stupid," Fili told him. After he finished telling Ori this, he blushed, for he had just been throttled by one. "I seriously doubt a zombie would walk that far. I'm not even sure one came here. Gloin's family was just protecting itself."

"You will stay with us, won't you?" Kili asked Ori.

"I—oh, all right," Ori smiled. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, other than returning home to safety and, quite honestly, seclusion. He kept to the background when the door opened and a boy and an old man came out, and gaped at the muscle packed into a kid of Gimli's age. Was that even healthy?

"Well then, lads," Bofur clapped his hands after everyone had been introduced, "back into the city?"

"I know it seems a bit daunting," Oin, grizzled and grey-haired, told the young healer-in-training, "but when you get more spells under your belt, you won't feel quite as ill-equipped. In the meantime, I can cast some buffs on you, make you a bit stronger than you'd normally be at level five."

"Must we really go back _there?_ " Ori asked, his eyes on the smoke in the distance.

"We need to save as many as we can," Fili told him. "I feel awful about killing those people. I didn't know they could be saved," he said sadly.

"Well, but they'll revive at the nearest temple, right?"

"I wish that were true. Monsters aren't like us, remember?" Bofur told him. "And they were monsters when we killed them, Ori. They're gone."

"If only there were some sort of spell to cure a whole bunch of them at once," Kili sighed.

"As a matter of fact," Oin told him, "there is."

All eyes were on him at once, save for young Gimli, who already knew that his uncle was awesome, thank you very much. If the look he gave could be translated into words, it would say something along the likes of, 'You couldn't have known, this is high profile stuff.'

"Well"? Bofur urged him on.

"Can I help?" Ori quickly added.

"Explain on the way?" Kili was more practical.

Without a moment's hesitation, Gimli leaped up onto the back of Ori's horse. Ori yelped.

"It's not a huge area of effect," Oin told them, but it will extend about ten yards from wherever I cast it. "It's powerful, to be certain. For that reason, I can only cast it once every three minutes."

"So, you're saying," Fili chimed in, "that we need to pull a lot of the undead townsfolk to us and then stall them so you can cast the spell to cure them?"

"And those I miss, Ori and I can cast heals upon, one at a time, to cure," Oin concluded.

Ori nodded at once. He could be useful, he thought. He _would_ be.

\- - - - -

By the time they reached the inner city again, twilight was painting the rims of the wall's parapet golden, casting everything in a bright blinding light from the West. They followed Gloin at the lead because Gloin knew the city best, and he seemed to have an idea where the plague was coming from. "Remember," Oin called, "don't let them bite you. If you do, call out and Ori and I will focus on you at once. Don't under any circumstance let either of us get bitten, or it could be the end of us all."

"Encouraging," Kili muttered. He raised his bow, notched an arrow, and tried to stay on the horse at the same time. Horseback archery was a lot more difficult than it looked in the movies.

Fili would have rather had a sword in each hand. He studied his surroundings nervously.

Every few minutes they came upon a pocket of zombies. When they did, they made a ruckus and tried to draw as many others towards them. When a sufficient amount of the undead had gathered, Oin cast a spell he called _Mass Anointment._ Within seconds, the undead turned into normal citizens of the city. Those just on the outside of Oin's casting radius were quickly cured by Oin or Ori.

The change in Ori since they had come upon him trying to find the market was nothing short of miraculous. During the hours that they cured zombies, Ori levelled four times. And Fili had almost reached the coveted level where he could begin to dual wield.

Ori's face seemed much more confident as time went on. Fili liked that. He vowed that he'd help Ori find his lost brothers.

Night had properly fallen, and it would be easy to lose sight of each other. Kili used the shadows to his advantage, slipping from one pocket to the next until the others had utterly lost track of him. He never fired an arrow unless necessary, for the creatures out there had once been men, women and children.

Which was why nobody noticed until minutes later that he was no longer there.

"Where is he?" Fili hissed, not wanting to draw the attention of more of the undead. "He was _just_ here with us."

"He was hiding in the shadows, lad," Bofur told him. "I'm sure he still is."

"But what if—" Fili didn't want to finish that sentence. He couldn't even bear to think about the ending to that sentence.

When minutes later, Kili still hadn't come forth, Ori stopped. "We have to get him back first," he said with a shaky voice. "He might have turned. If he has, we need to find him and fast." They had reached a wide square, and still no sign of Kili. "Unless this is an elaborate joke to him. If it might be, please tell me."

"Kili is a bit of a joker," Fili told him, "but he wouldn't do it now. It's too dangerous here. You don't think—?" he turned to Oin, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

The silence was deafening.

"Do we go back?" Bofur asked. "Search for him? Or do we stop what is causing this first? I don't think we're that far from where it began." Maybe it would recover Kili on the spot.

Or maybe it wouldn't.

Ori turned. "I'm going to look for him. I'm sorry, I feel that I need to. You should go on. It's late already."

"No!" Fili cried. "We're not losing you too. Whatever we do, we have to stay together." He lay a hand on Ori's arm.

"But Kili—"

Gloin rounded back and lowered his head. "We'll go back as soon as we can," he said. "It's important that we deal with the source first, before everyone we rescued is again overcome. We're all in danger when that happens."

"Where are we going anyway?" asked Bofur, who was visibly shaken by the idea that Kili might have been taken, or turned.

"No," Fili said resolutely, shaking his head. "We don't leave anyone behind. Especially not my brother! Kili?" he called out, then louder, " _Kili?!_ "

Bofur was torn between Gloin and Gimli pressing on, and Fili and Ori determined to wait in case Kili returned. But nothing happened. The blue shadows remained silent, apart from a savage grunt here and there.

Ori at last sighed. "Back me up," he said to Fili, "waiting takes longer than checking," and he walked back to the place where he had last seen Kili.

Fili followed close behind the suddenly emboldened young healer. Perhaps it was the use of the word _brother_ that spurred Ori on. He was desperate to find his own.

"Stay close to me, Ori," Fili whispered. He wasn't sure if he was asking for Ori's security or his own.

Ori followed his lead, though it was him who decided where they went. A faint glow emanated from him. Ori didn't know why or how that was, but it was convenient in the otherwise blinding darkness. His heart was hammering in his throat. It was a dangerous place.

"Kili?" he called when a sound came from their right. Ori shared a glance with Fili, before walking forward slowly. His feet stumbled over a branch, made a ruckus, and the sound was gone. He inwardly cursed, moved to give the obstacle a good push for interfering, and stopped midway.

"Fili," Ori whispered.

It was Kili's bow.

The sight of his brother's beloved weapon on the ground shook Fili to the core. Kili would never be parted from it voluntarily. "Ori," Fili's voice grew tight. "What has happened to him?"

The young healer looked down at his hands. "He must have been turned," Ori whispered. Death would have brought Kili back to a temple and then back to them—and wouldn't have Fili looking so forlorn. "Do we try and find him?"

Even as he asked it, Ori knew Kili could be anywhere by now. He dusted off the leather handle and offered the bow to Fili. "I'm sorry. Gloin is right. We should come back later. If we find a cure for what's happening, maybe Kili, wherever he is, turns back when we do. He'll find us if that happens."

Kili hadn't died. If he had, he would have woken up at a temple. And all his belongings and weapons would have gone with him. Kili would never leave his bow behind. Not willingly.

Fili looked stricken. "W-we can't just leave him here," he clutched at his little brother's bow like a life line. "He's only level eleven, Ori. And if he's _one of them..._ " but Fili couldn't bear to finish the thought. 

The sound of the undead around them was growing closer. 

"It's only a game," Fili whispered to Ori. "It's all right. It's only a game."

"It's only a _game_?! How can you say that? People are dying, and you call it a game?" Ori hissed in the shadows. "And what do you mean, level eleven? He was level eleven when I met you two. You're saying he didn't level up in all that time?" He glanced at Oin, Gloin and Gimli, who were waiting impatiently. He cast his gaze away before either of them would notice and compel him to return. "I don't know this place half as well. If you turned zombie, where would you go?"

Fili's eyes met his. "I'd go far away from the people I loved, so I'd never hurt them," he whispered. "But can a zombie even think, Ori?" Fili shoved his sword into the sheath at his side and clung stubbornly to Kili's bow, even though he hadn't the slightest idea how to use it. 

Ori strode outside and called out to Gloin, much though he had tried to avoid it. When the burly redhead was close enough, he asked him the same question Fili had just asked him. Gloin would know. "Please be honest," he pleaded. "This is a friend."

He received his answer with a sigh. "I don't recall, lad. My memory is foggy, like I've been half asleep. I couldn't say. Come. We'll look for Kili once we've stopped the spread. There's nothing you can do here." He was right, though none of them wanted to admit it.

They left the shadows to return to the moonlight wearily. Gimli kept eyeing them, an unreadable expression on his freckled nose, while he hummed a distant war song as they advanced on the temple at the heart of the city.

As they traveled, they repeated the process of drawing a score of undead to them. Oin would cast his cleansing spell and he and Ori would mop up the stragglers. This went on for hours until they were all quite exhausted.

A light that had been behind Fili's eyes seemed to have gone. He had lost his brother—his best friend.

At last, the group made its way to the great Temple of Mahal in the center of the city. They cured the undead as they went, until they found themselves upon the roof. From there, they could truly see the ruin of the city.

 _Oh, Kili_ Fili thought to himself, as a blast of foul smelling air blew over them. _I'm not giving up on you!_

Behind him, Gloin was grumbling something about having been _sure_ that the source was either up here or in the catacombs. And they had scoured the catacombs before going up. Gimli was sitting on a parapet, uncaring about the great height as he sagged and curled into a position that allowed him to rest for a quick bit. Oin kept pacing back and forth.

Ori sidled up next to Fili. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "We must have missed him. We'll find out what has happened, it's the least we can do." He was still clutching his staff like it was a walking stick with a glowing top half. Half of his healing potions had been depleted over the course of hours. "I'm sure he's still alive somewh—"

A shuffling noise from behind broke off his sentence.

"Oh, my boy, not my boy!" Gloin wailed. That's when they saw it. In the bewildered eyes of Gimli, nothing human remained.

Fili let out a gasp at the cold, grey marbled eyes. 

Ori raised a hand in Gimli's direction. He cast the only healing spell he had, Baptism.

The spell, cast in a green glow that was bounding off Gimli's skin in an almost sickly way, wrapped itself around the only unholy creature on the roof—until it began to spread out and crawl to other places.

"It's here!" Ori called out. "The thing that's causing all of this, it's—it's in Gimli!"

Trying hard not to let his despair over Kili get the best of him, Fili bellowed, "What did you do to my brother?"

"He's only a boy!" Bofur marveled. "Surely not."

"He's not like the others," Ori at once said. There was no time for a lot of words, as the hollow form of Gimli crept closer, not altogether slow. "Don't hurt him!"

"What then, capture him?" Bofur called back.

An unearthly voice came forth from Gimli, without him moving his lips, and the young lad smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

"Who are you?!" Fili demanded, raising his sword and shield in a fighting stance. "And what have you done with my brother?"

"How would I know?" the creature in Gimli said, not interested in trivial conversation. He snapped his head at Bofur, who at once skidded back several yards, a rope in his hands. "You're not going to stop me much longer."

"Gloin?" Ori cried out. "What do you want us to do?"

Fili, seething, was ready to run Gimli through.

"My boy! That's my boy!" Gloin rushed over to Oin, weakly leaning on his staff. He whispered something to him. Oin shook his head in response.

"I can't do that."

Gloin wouldn't have any of it. "Yes, you can. Use Ori. He can help. Do something."

Oin shared a look with the younger cleric. Bofur, who lay between them, groaned and clutched his stomach. Oin gathered his breath. "Heal him," he commanded.

"But—"

"Heal him!"

Oin had never spoken so forcefully. It was a good thing that he did, because Gimli's captor was moving faster now, growing into its new body. Ori focused all his might into a last heal spell. Green light pooled around him once again. Afraid that it would only be deflected once again, Ori hesitantly waited for Oin's further command.

He needn't have. A flurry of arrows fell from the sky, each missing Gimli by a hair's breadth by design. They pinned the boy to his spot, while a dark silhouette appeared out of thin air, circled around him, and delivered several cuts with a swift dagger. Gloin cried in distress when the figure flung his rope about, notched another arrow and started binding Gimli in his location. "Why aren't you killing him?" the stranger called out to the company as he did.

"He's only a lad of ten!" bellowed Gloin. "He's my son!"

"Keep healing!" Oin insisted and both he and Ori redoubled their efforts.

Nearby, Fili glowered at the newcomer who'd pinned Gimli to the ground.

The man kept to the shadows, though he moved whenever Gimli did. His gestures answered to every gesture. White hair flowed around his unearthly graceful figure. Gloin bristled. He knew his kind.

"Well, do something fast," the stranger ordered, "or I will."

"It's not working!" Ori called to Oin over the din.

The stranger looked over his shoulder and sighed. He raised his hand to bring the blunt of the pommel down on Gimli’s head. The boy's frame crumpled upon impact. "There, easier. Exorcize him now."

As angry as Fili was with the creature that had taken over the young boy, he was incensed by the archer's behavior. He couldn't bear to watch as Ori and Oin slowly approached Gimli's limp form, bathing him with greenish light.

"He could die, you know," Fili told the bowman. "Is that what you're aiming for?"

"Worse. If he wakes up and he's still like this, we're all doomed," the bowman snapped back. "It would be a lot easier if I could just kill him." He prowled around the body. It looked like the healing spells were slowly taking an effect, though they had to be quick about it; every time either one of the healers waited to catch his strength, the corruption crept back into the body.

At long last the stranger sighed, put on his gloves, and fetched a vial containing a flaming red liquid. He nipped Gimli's nose shut to force open his mouth and poured it in—ignoring the sputtering protests of Gloin—at which Gimli’s form crumpled again. At long last, Ori's spell was the one that eradicated the disease from Gimli's body. The stranger let out a relieved sigh.

"There. That should do it."

The ragtag group made a protective circle around Gimli, watching him for signs of distress. When he seemed to be resting comfortably, and showing no further symptoms, they—one by one—let down their guards.


	3. They Are Always Hungry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili reaches out to his brother. Legolas and Fili share a secret.

Fili returned to the parapets overlooking the city, hoping for a glimpse of his brother's blue cloak. He couldn’t stop shaking, even though it was a warm evening.

"Who are you?" Ori, exhausted from his efforts, asked the tall ranger.

As the man turned, each one in the company was struck by his otherworldly presence, his sky blue eyes and his unnatural grace. He extended his hand to Ori. "Legolas. It's a pleasure to meet you." As Gloin and the rest seemed to already have shaped an opinion on him and it wasn't a very positive one, he chose not to offer them the same greeting. "Do you think this is it? The source?"

Ori couldn't stop staring. Legolas was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Of course, he had thought the same thing we he had first laid eyes on Fili. Clearly he needed to get out more. His brothers were always telling him so. But then, it was getting out and away from his brothers that had gotten him into this mess.

Bofur shrugged. "It was his idea we come here." He jerked his thumb in Oin's direction. "He's a right powerful cleric, he is."

The old man stepped closer, but waved away all praise. "I sense no more evil in Gimli, so I assume he is rid of that wickedness. A veil has been lifted from this city. Though we did lose one of our own, and I don't believe that stopping the source reverses the effects on those already affected. There is still a lot of work we have to do."

"Will you help us then?" Ori asked, while Legolas prowled around Gimli's body, studying it—as if expecting there to be riches for completing the trial. "Hey, that's his sword! Don't take it from him!"

"Sword? This... dagger?"

"It's a sword for a boy his size," Gloin came to his son's defense. "And he wields it quite well."

"My brother was," _lost? changed?_ "... we can't find him," Fili told Legolas. "He was with us, then he just vanished. He left his bow," he held up the weapon to show Legolas. "I can't leave this city without him."

The bow switched hands, with Legolas examining the model closely. "About your height, and strong," he described Fili's brother by judging his weapon. "About level eleven, or he would have upgraded his bow already, but a fine choice nonetheless. Did he turn undead? If my calculations are correct, the major spread will have ceased, but individual bites still carry the disease. I'm looking for someone too, but I'm unfortunately not equipped with healing abilities. If you stick to the city, do you mind if I join you?"

Fili nodded without hesitation, recalling the ease with which Legolas had captured and pinned the monster inhabiting Gimli to the ground. "I'm Fili." He held out his hand to shake. "You have some incredible skills," he remarked.

"Legolas," the ranger smiled. He cast a last glance at Gloin, then grudgingly added, "Apologies for having had to be rough on your friend. He will be all right. I couldn't risk him infecting us. It's a dangerous curse. Get killed while you're infected, and that's the end for you."

Fili's eyes grew noticeably wider. "You mentioned you too were separated from someone?"

Icy eyes misted over, and for a moment Legolas looked only human. "A friend. I don't believe she is infected. She wouldn't let that happen to her. We were hunting, and we lost sight of each other. Before I could track her down, the city was overrun with the dead." He waved it away. "She is fine, I know of it. Still, her location eludes me."

"My brother is impetuous, but he is skilled," Fili told him. "He wouldn't go down without a fight. I just can't believe I wasn't paying better attention to him. I just... I thought this was a game." He looked out at the milling zombies below them, swiping away a tear from his cheek. "I misunderstood."

"A game?" Gloin interjected. "This ain't no game! Look at my wee lad! People are dying down there."

Ori came to his friend's defense. "To be fair, it might have been a game before people started dying." He recalled how invincible he had felt after having been resurrected the first few times, once the initial shock had worn down. "But I'm—I'm starving, and tired. I can't go on much longer. Are there remedies for that as well?"

Fili blinked and a tear ran from both eyes. "I don't understand. This is a _game!_ " he insisted. "It's for _fun_. We can't die! We can't.... we can't _disappear._ Not for real, anyway!" He spun to face Ori. "You got an invitation to the beta testing too, right? Or did you pay to be a founder?"

"I—no I didn't!" Ori was shocked. "You mean you pay to kill monsters? You let me die, assuming I was in on it? That was—I can't begin to express how irresponsible that was! Who do you pay, anyway? What's... ugh!" He threw up his hands and marched away to the other end of the roof. Fili had thought this was a game? People were dying, or had been in serious pain, _for fun_?

None of the others looked at Fili with understanding. Oin awkwardly averted his eyes.

Painful realization dawned for Fili. What had begun as an online game that he had started playing in order to spend more quality time with his brother in college had turned into... well, into something else entirely. He didn't know exactly when it had happened. He didn't know how. He felt sick, betrayed, ashamed.

Surprisingly, it was the newest—and most independent—addition to their company coming up to him, just as Gimli groaned and crawled into a sitting position. 

Legolas put a hand on Fili's shoulder. "You're from outside as well?" he whispered. "That means your brother was too? Something strange is going on. I can no longer go back. And these people... these people are very much supposed to be only a part of the game, but they're _sentient_. They're flesh and blood."

Fili's hand trembled on the hilt of his sword. Suddenly, he no longer felt like a warrior. "I'm not a fighter," he told Legolas. "Not really. I'm a teacher. I teach language arts and coach drama at a private school. I can't do," he waved his hand around him, as if to encompass the entire experience, " _this_. What about you?"

"Army," Legolas shrugged. "You seemed to have no qualms about _this_ until you found out there's a way to actually die." He smiled ruefully. "Funny, isn't it? Either way, we're stuck here for the time being, and I've got a feeling it's got something to do with those undead. It's a brilliant idea, if you think about it. Turn people into monsters, and suddenly they're mortal. Which makes those two," he pointed at Ori and Oin's backs, "all the more valuable."

Fili tilted his head to the side, considering Legolas and his words. "You've got awfully long hair for someone in the Army," he said at length.

"Do you wear those braids in front of your classroom?" Legolas countered. "Does it matter?" He looked over at the others. "Let's get some sleep as soon as we can, before we look for your brother and my friend. Everyone's exhausted." He inclined his head, and left Fili to his own thoughts, whirling around like water.

"Sleep?" Fili whispered to himself. Could he possibly get any sleep while his brother was lost, maybe dead? 

Fili looked around at the others. Were they all just normal people, gamers like himself, but had yet to realize it? Ori seemed even more confused than Fili and Kili had been when they were new to the.... Fili frowned. _Game_ , or so he had thought. But it had been made clear to him that they were no longer playing a game. They were here, now, for real, and for no discernible reason. 

Magic was real. Zombies were real. It was all _real._ He felt sick suddenly, and his legs no longer wanted to support him. He sank to the ground, back against the wall overlooking the town. 

Below him the zombies milled. His brother might be among them. He couldn't stop shaking.

\- - - - -

The night was restless, and continually haunted by moans and groans of the unliving. Being up in the temple's tower, with the door barricaded, was a safe enough place for now. They had found shelter in a storage room that was still accessible. Nobody would overtake them while they held their ground.

Gimli wouldn't leave his father's side all night. When he finally did fall asleep, Oin sighed and whispered to those still awake, "I fear it is worse than we imagined. What was in Gimli was not the cause of this disaster; at least, not as such. Something higher up controlled him. The city is safe for now, sure, but I am worried about what befell the rest of the world."

_Safe?!_ In the corner, head resting on a bag of flour, Fili scoffed and rolled over. Sleep would not find him. He hated the fact that he was even being forced to attempt to rest when his brother was out there, lost.

In the dim light, Legolas' strange eyes found his and the man nodded softly. "Try," he whispered, as if he read Fili's mind.

"Okay," Fili whispered back, pulling his cloak around himself more snugly and closing his eyes. He could try again, for Kili.

Behind him, Ori hugged himself in the flicker of the flame. "What do we do tomorrow?" he asked Oin and Gloin. "Do we clear the city? Kili is still out there somewhere. He could have gone elsewhere, I suppose."

"I don't want to write the lad off as lost," Gloin told him, "especially with all the undead we've cured today, including whatever the hell was possessing my boy."

"All the curing we did today was exhausting," Oin told his brother. "I'm not a young man anymore. I cannot cure a whole city, even with the help of an apprentice."

"Can we teach others?" Ori wondered. "I used to think I was the only one to be able to do that, before I met you. Maybe the library has books about it, and we can teach Gimli how to ward himself, as well as the others." He looked at his hands. "Not that that is our first priority, of course. Finding Kili is, and Legolas' friend."

"I'd like that, Dad," Gimli said softly from his improvised pallet. "I want to learn how to heal and maybe protect myself better."

"Some minor healing abilities would be useful for all of us," Legolas nodded in agreement. "If it's not too taxing for Oin to teach us."

Fili only heard half of the conversation. His mind was too busy envisioning his little brother with dead eyes, shambling through an alley. It was with that image in his head that he drifted off into a nightmare-plagued sleep.

He rose the following morning in the first light of day while everyone else still slept. Gloin, who had been standing guard, had dozed off leaning on his axe, though no ill had befallen any of them.

Below them, a thick fog spread through the streets. It whirled like a sea when the wind wove through it. Where it did not, it was still as though a blanket had descended upon a dead world. Sunlight struggled to get through the grey blur. It didn't succeed, except in small patches, if only to color the rest even more bleakly.

Fili attempted once again to cut back into the real world. Usually, unlinking himself from his avatar had been as easy as willing it so. He had spent a few days getting the hang of it before he had invited Kili in. For those who still had to learn, it was done using a specific phrase. Fili used it now in different intonations. It mattered not; the connection was lost. The stone under his feet felt solid, the calloused palms of his hands rough and real. This was the world. Would his students miss him?

What was happening to his real body, especially once it stopped being able to sustain itself?

So many frightening questions stilled when he noticed a figure watching him from the haze.

Despite the distance and the fog, and the dead eyes of the figure in the street, the blue cloak and dark hair immediately gave its identity away.

"Kili," Fili whispered. "Oh my god, Kili!"

He knew the others would caution him against it if they knew, so he chose not to wake any of his traveling companions. Not even Legolas, despite the fact that he felt the man had a good head on his shoulders.

Silently he scooped up his sword in its sheath, as well as the shield he had found in the market the day before. "I'm sorry," he whispered to the sleeping men, and slipped down through the halls of the temple and onto the street to find his brother.

The silhouette hadn't waited where he had seen it. It stood further down the street, rummaging through rubble as if looking for something. At the sound of a creaking door opening and closing, the creature snapped its head up, no longer dejectedly aimless. Eyes that burned like coal looked directly at Fili. It didn't move, though instinct willed it to. Something was off about this man before him. The creature didn't understand why, but he knew that he wasn't food.

Coherent thought or words had left him since he had turned; only a fog of memories remained now. Upon deciding that this person was not to be harmed, the creature that had once been Kili without a doubt shuffled back, new to the world like a frightened animal. He wanted to ask who Fili was, yet the inability to express himself frustrated him without knowing why it did.

Fili walked down the street cautiously with the understanding that, while Kili appeared to be alone, others could join him at any time. These zombies seemed to have the same flocking mechanisms as the birds he had read about in college biology.

Kili kept watching him, as if even in his depraved state he knew who he was. As Fili approached him, Kili backed up one skittish step, then stood firm.

"What has happened to you?" Fili whispered, reaching out to touch Kili's shoulder.

A growl ripped from Kili's throat, low and threatening like a dog baring his fangs, yet equally afraid. He couldn't understand what was happening or what he was supposed to do. In his confusion, he pulled away, though that didn't feel quite right either. Kili instinctively moved closed until he caught Fili's scent.

What was left of his reason made him pull away and edge back again. His hands trembled. He nudged his head once, twice, trying to get Fili to come along.

"Don't go," Fili whispered. "L-let me try..." he reached for Kili's cold hand and held it pleadingly. From deep within himself, he tried to conjure up the healing power that Ori had managed to channel. He closed his eyes and willed for his brother to be cured, clinging tightly to his hand and leaning in to lay his forehead against Kili's.

Kili allowed him for a second, before he tore his arm back and stared at Fili big-eyed. Fili registered belatedly that the sound that came from Kili's throat then was an attempt at speech. Kili's tongue was swollen, his lips blistered. He didn't fit inside his skin as well as he once had. When no words came despite his efforts, Kili responded with anger.

"Kili, no!" FIli held up his hands to ward off the blows. "I—I'm sorry. I want to help you, but I can't. I can't," he sobbed. "We were wrong, Kili. This isn't a game. It might have been when we started," he grunted when a fist hit him across the cheek, "but it's not anymore. It's _real_ , Kee. And we might now make it out! Can you even understand me?!"

Kili's eyes were in tears. On a rudimentary level, he understood what was being said. It frustrated him. Whatever was happening—and he had no idea what it was—it did not feel right. He took Fili's hand and tugged on it. _Follow_ , he meant to gesture.

"Y-you want me to follow you?" Fili bit his lip and looked around warily. He might be safe with Kili, but what if they came upon others like him? "I... all right," he agreed. "But if you take me somewhere where I don't feel safe, I'm running away." He had the suspicion that Kili wasn't listening to him. 

Lost in a battle of confusion— _food_ was much easier—Kili pulled him along further away from the rest of Fili's company. It was the place where he felt the pull strongest.

Others did too. Upon reaching the cemetery, several pairs of red eyes turned Fili's direction. Kili growled at them as if to mark Fili as his. It worked on most of them save for two men in clanking armor, who must have been knights when they were men, and of a higher level. This bothered Kili, who tugged Fili away at once, but the evil had been done. They had drawn attention to themselves.

Fili felt certain he was going to die. Not _die_ as in _respawn at the nearest Temple of Mahal,_ but die as in turn into an undead, marble-skinned zombie like his kid brother for ever and ever. 

"I can't stay here, Kili," he whispered, not knowing if Kili heard or understand. "I love you, but if I want any hope of saving you, I have to go." He leaned over quickly and kissed Kili's cheek, damp with who-knows-what.

As much as it pained him to do so, Fili pulled his hand free of Kili's.

Though it distressed his brother greatly, the distance between them grew bigger and bigger. Kili fought to form words while he moved himself between this stranger of whom he didn't know who he was or why he was protecting him, and the creatures in armor. "F—," he grunted, "Fffee!" He pulled back, his head fuzzy. What did that sound mean?

His words were lost to the mist and the groans of others around him. Disoriented, Kili gave up. He let out a loud wail.

Fili ran blindly around a corner and ducked into an alcove behind a bright green banner that had once announced a produce stand. He heard his brother's voice calling out his name over the sounds of other undead chasing him. But Fili couldn't go back. There were too many of them. He'd never make it to Kili, let alone be able to drag his brother back to the temple for cleansing. Sobbing, he ducked behind a stack of crates full of vegetables, and piled more crates on top until his hiding place was secure.

Now with only his weapons and rucksack, he was separated from his brother, and separated from the only people who might be able to help him stay alive. The street outside his hiding spot was heavy with the shuffling feet of the zombies. He had to wait it out. And he would, he vowed, sinking to the cobblestones and laying his head on his knees. He cried silently, hoping that if the end came, it was swift.

\- - - - -

"Who was on guard?"

The company looked among each other with hanging shoulders. "Uh..." Gloin ventured intelligibly.

"Who was on guard?!" Ori cried again. "We lost a man! Can nobody tell me what happened?"

"I was, uh..." Oin started. "I fell asleep. Apologies. It won't happen again."

"We lost him!"

Gimli glared at Ori for coming down on his elderly uncle like that. "Well, we don't know that, do we? He could have lost us. The rest is still here. If Uncle Oin was sleeping, nobody would have stopped them. Just saying, maybe Fili wasn't taken. Maybe he left. Think about that. Maybe he just up and left us."

There was a sudden noise at the other end of the rooftop and the door opened with a creak. Fili poked in his head, relieved when he saw the others had waited.

"I saw Kili," he announced. "He was down there, watching us. I went after him. He spoke to me. He was trying to get me to go with him, as if he had something to show me." He dropped his rucksack and sat down dejectedly. "But then more undead came, and I had to get away. I hid for a bit before coming back to you. I'm so glad you're still here." He was trembling, and when Ori approached and put a hand on his shoulder, Fili patted it gratefully.

"He spoke to you?" Ori asked, cautiously.

"He said my name."

Gloin adjusted his belt, picking an acceptable breakfast from his rations. "So he's still _in there._ That's good. Why didn't he come with you? Where did you find the undead? We can clear it after we’ve had food."

" _After we've eaten?_ " Fili rose, swaying with exhaustion. "Can you only think of food at a time like this? That's my brother out there!"

"Oh, fine, _while_ we're eating."

While Gloin fetched his belongings and Gimli cast another glare at Fili simply for having snuck off like he had, Ori edged up to Fili. "How, uh, how many are there? Can we handle it, or do we need a plan?"

Unfortunately for him, Legolas decided on immediate action when he jumped nimbly off the tower instead of taking the stairs. The test of the people on the roof shared their exasperation with a sigh.

"There are less than yesterday," Fili told them as they hurried down there stairs, "but still plenty around. They seem to be less active in the daylight. A bit more sluggish."

"That could work to our advantage," Ori nodded.

Although the way back to the cemetery was difficult to find, as Fili's first visit had been shrouded in the thick morning fog, Legolas pushed on regardless of whether they were heading in the right direction. They passed City Square twice, and detoured with the intent of plundering a bakery before finding out that the baker was one of the men they had saved earlier. He handed them several loaves of freshly baked bread gladly, with the hopeful request to clear out his backyard if they had time to spare later. Three zombies had found themselves locked there, and were currently asleep. "They are not very strong," the baker had noted, "but they are always hungry."

By the time they reached the cemetery, even Ori thought they had taken too long. "Where is Kili?" he asked, hoping that the man was still here somewhere. The cemetery, however, looked abandoned.

"Kili!" Fili cried out in his despair. "Are you still here?"

"Don't!" Gloin cautioned him in a harsh whisper. "Lad, don't cry out!'

"Maybe he's hiding," Fili shoved his falchion into its sheath. "Or hurt. _Kili_!?"

Oin and Gloin reached for their weapons at once, and young Gimli followed suit after their judgment. Legolas, who was never close but flitted about in a wide circle around them, let loose the first arrow with a thud. "Incoming!" he cried out, because it was too late for tact anyway.

Though they were few in number, the zombies spread out from mausoleum and unearthed graves like a horde. They were slow and blind-eyed in the sun. Nevertheless they had surrounded Fili quickly.

None of the undead were wearing a blue cloak. None of them was his brother.

Was it possible, Fili wondered as their cold hands reached for him, to go mad with grief for someone who hadn't truly died? Would he even have time to find out? Not that it mattered. He was about to join their throng.

"We must do something!" Ori raised one arm and shot a small blast of warm holy fire towards the zombie closest to Fili. It let out a groan and fell back a few steps. "Oin! Legolas!"

Oin ran as fast as he could. His huddle was slow and awkward, but as soon as he anchored down and prepared his spell, the weakness of age left his body. He gestured for Ori to lend him his strength, throwing Legolas a quick warning look to stop him from shooting down anyone they could still save. Dead was, in this state, irreversibly dead.

A green wave spread from Fili as its epicenter. Men collapsed or wailed, and several tried to push through in order to reach Fili. It was mayhem, made worse when those who were cured were suddenly surrounded by others who weren't. To start the conversion inside a group was tricky and required massive amounts of energy. Ori, who provided the energy that Oin burned, was swaying on the spot.

"Get out," he called to Fili. "We'll cut you a path."

Thankfully, it was easy to tell the cured from the transitioning by the healthy glow of their skin and the look of cognizance in their eyes. So many people of all ages and walks of life, lives uprooted by this curse! Fili wove his way through them, pushing a few of the weakened undead aside with his shield as he did so. 

"I'm so sorry," he gasped when he was reunited with his traveling companions by the cemetery walls. "I really felt that Kili was trying to lead me here. But I guess he was just trying to trick me to my death."

"There are a lot of them here," Ori spoke against that. "Maybe he wanted you to find them so they could be cured. The question is, where is your brother now?" He was panting, summoning more strength for the last wave of Oin's spell. 

Legolas kept the remaining zombies back until Oin had had enough time to prepare, aiming at the floor before their feet or, once or twice, in a foot or calf to stall them. It was plain that he wasn't in his element, fending off monsters rather than dealing with them. "Are you done yet?" he asked, exasperated, when it became harder to stop them just by scaring them off. The undead were witless.

Just as Oin was again ready, Gimli called from the rooftop of a mausoleum. "Found something! Someone get up here!"

The answer as to how the ten-year-old had climbed to the top of the mausoleum was soon answered. Someone had piled crates of supplies on one side that formed a crude stairway to the roof.

"What is it?" Legolas snapped when he reached the top. He still didn't quite trust Gimli.

"Oh god, I didn't mean _you._ " Gimli pointedly snapped back a retort of his own. He put a small package in Legolas' hands. "Here, take it to Fili. Don't you dare open it yourself. It's not for you."

Legolas raised his chin. "Says who? You?"

"Can't you read, Pointy-Ears? I said, Fili."

Admittedly, the small wrapping did read Fili's name in large, primitive capitals, which left Legolas with no argument but a glare and turning his back to Gimli. The higher ground was an advantage he was not willing to give up, being the archer, so he called Fili's name and tossed the package to him, just as the last wave of green light turned the remaining undead.

In it was a letter, written on paper that Kili hadn't been carrying. But it was undoubtedly his by the name at the bottom.

_Fili,_

_I have no idea where you are. Men came and cured me. They told me little. I don't know what happened in the time I was one of the others. My memories are blank. I lost my bow, and I must have lost you. Somehow, I get the feeling you are all right, but there isn't time to look for you. If you find this letter, come look for me in Aldgate. I am joining Thorin's company to look for the cure, and that is our first step on the way to Laketown. Yes, OUR Thorin. Looks like he's been in this world a lot longer than we have. He's the best chance I've got at not turning undead all over again. Seek us out._

_It's a letter in a cemetery, so chances are small that the right person finds this. If you read this and you are not Fili, please take this letter to the closest temple of Mahal. But if you know him and you know of his whereabouts, please contact me. Whoever you are, I am much indebted to you._

_Kili_

Relief, blissful relief, surged through Fili. He sat down heavily on a nearby tombstone. "You're alive," he whispered. "He's alive!" he told them all.

_I am joining Thorin's company,_ the note read. _OUR Thorin._

Uncle Thorin, who had vanished over a year ago. Everyone had presumed him dead.


	4. I'm Good Right Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six years earlier... Kili and Fili make some confessions.

****

**SIX YEARS EARLIER**

  
"Fili..." Kili started. Snow was falling outside their bedroom window, locking them inside their modest two story house in Salem, Massachusetts. If he looked outside, he would see the edge of a park that bordered on a small patch of woods, and a peaceful blanket descending onto the street that wound around their block. But on his lap was a book that failed to grasp his attention, and Fili was on his computer playing one thing or another. His brother was half a year removed from college graduation. Lack of funds made it that they were still sharing the same bedroom. "I'm bored." 

"Is that so?" Fili seemed distracted by the action unfolding on the screen in front of him. "Ah, _fuck,_ " he muttered as his character on screen was jumped by three pirates and his hard-fought treasure stolen. "Well, now you have my undivided attention." 

"Is that sarcasm in your pants," Kili pulled a face, "or are you actually happy to see me? What game are you playing? Can I try?" He sat on the edge of his bed because he knew it would make him look more hopeful—and Fili had always had a hard time saying no to his stupid obviously intentioned puppy faces. 

"Sit here," Fili got up, vacating his chair, "you can play my guy. Just remember, don't say anything stupid in chat. I have a rep to uphold," he chuckled, pulling out the chair for his kid brother. 

As Kili slid into the chair, wearing a tank top and jeans, Fili's eyes went automatically to Kili's biceps. When had his brother bulked up like that? Wasn't he just a skinny kid last week? It must have been all that time spent playing baseball. "I'll go see if I can find some cookies and milk in the kitchen," he told him. "Back in three. Remember, don't make my character say anything... all right?" 

"Only cool stuff. Promise, promise. Bring me back a beer?" Kili was already figuring out the controls, walking back and forth and jumping to get the hang of it. He grinned at his brother. They were like night and day; where Kili's hair and eyes were brown, Fili was a blond with eyes the color of the sky; Kili was warm even now, while Fili was wearing a knitted sweater. Nobody understood how they could be brothers from the same mother and father, until they looked further to their two uncles and their heritage made sense. 

By the time Fili returned, Kili had figured out how to talk, and used that abundantly. "This is a fun game!" he said over his shoulder, as Fili's character explored all his new boundaries. 

"Do you like MMORPGs?" Fili sat a forbidden beer from their father's stash down next to the keyboard, along with a plate full of shortbread cookies. He opened his own beer with a practiced twist of his wrist. "You never really seemed into them before." 

"Thanks. I'm not into paying for a subscription every month," Kili said with his eyes glued to the screen, "or teaming up with strangers. I'd team up with you though. Hey, can you do other things from leveling up? Like pickpocketing or, I don't know, romancing someone else's character?" 

Fili blushed a bit and pretended to be busy drinking his beer. "Why on earth would you want do to that? You'd want to role-play with pixels? What if the person on the other end was a fat, hairy, middle aged guy?" he chuckled nervously. 

His brother shrugged non-committally. "It's only in-game. Wouldn't it be fun? We can't always be waiting for Ms. Right." 

He himself had always been outspoken about his preferences, so he saw no point in pretending otherwise, especially to his brother. "Who knows, it could be someone very attractive. You wouldn't know. And besides, it doesn't really matter, does it? It's just two characters." 

"It matters to me," Fili broke a cookie in two and fiddled with both halves. "I have a type, you know." 

"Oh all right, I won't set your guy up with anyone," Kili grinned. "Just saying, if I had a character, that's what I would have done." He was now running in a dungeon by himself. "What happens when you die?" 

"You lose a little bit of experience," Fili told him, "and you respawn at the nearest church or graveyard." He was relieved that Kili hadn't asked about the type of character that Fili tended to chat up in game. All were males with long dark hair and dark eyes. 

Kili shrugged. "Cool." That didn't sound like dying would be a big deal, which suited Kili, because he was just getting into combat with two rats and he didn't know how to throw a spell—or if he even could. Death seemed inevitable in his case. "Fee," he grimaced, "a little help?" 

Fili came up behind him. "You need to hit them back," he chuckled. "Use your mouse and click these icons," he pointed to three square buttons with different pictures of knives on them. "That, or hit 1, 2 and 3. I like using my mouse. There you go." He patted his brother firmly on the shoulder. "We'll make a pirate of you yet." 

The thought wasn't shared by Kili, who found himself distracted by Fili's hands. If only more men were like his brother, who had all the traits that Kili liked in a person. He hung his shoulders when Fili's character inevitably lost his life under his tutelage. "Sorry. Do you want to play now?" 

"I'd rather drink all of Dad's beer and stay up talking all night," Fili smiled. 

Kili pushed away from the computer, happier to have Fili's attention than to be playing his game. "I'm free early tomorrow, I'll restock and he wouldn't know." 

Fili cocked his head to the side. "And just how do you plan on purchasing that beer, junior? Oh, I know... _I'll get my big brother, Fili, to do it._ " 

Kili blushed under Fili's scrutiny. Fili found it wildly attractive. "Listen," Fili grew more serious, "Kili, I..." 

Tucking his legs under him on the bureau chair, he had Kili's undivided attention. Fili looked like he was going to say something important, something that wasn't about the beers, and that meant it was important to Kili too. He dreaded the day Fili was telling him he'd be moving into an apartment of his own, much as that meant Kili would have the room to himself. "You don't have to buy it," he conceded. 

"But I will though," Fili sat down on his neatly-made bed. "You know I will. I’m all about contributing the delinquency of minors. Well, _your_ delinquency, at least." 

"Better than taking without giving something in return," Kili pouted. He nudged Fili with his foot. "That's not what you wanted to talk about, is it?" 

Fili shook his head and a tendril of blond hair escaped his ponytail. "I think we need to talk about what happened two weeks ago. When you came home from that party and got into bed with me." 

"For the tenth time, I'm sorry about that," Kili groaned. "I was drunk. I mixed up the beds." His little slip had been a pleasant memory only up until the next morning, when sobriety had made him feel terrible about giving into his weakness. He doubted he could pull it off another time, what with Fili's response. "I'm sure you've done stupid things when you were drunk." 

"I'm not upset," Fili told him quickly. "Well, not about having to hold you all night. I liked it. It reminded me of when we were little and we only had the one bed. What I didn't like was how you acted in the morning. Like you were scared of me. I don't want you to ever be scared of me, Kili." 

It was an uncomfortable conversation to be having seated on a rolling chair. Kili gingerly got off and moved to sit next to Fili, creating a respectable enough distance between them. "I fucked up," he sighed. "We're not kids anymore, but I guess I missed it. I put you in an uncomfortable position because of what I did. Sorry again." 

Fili sighed. "I wasn't uncomfortable, Kili." He looked up, to judges Kili's reaction. "I loved it. I loved it more than I know how to explain." 

Kili watched his brother intently. He swallowed. "So if it happened again...?" 

"That would be very, very suspicious," the corner of Fili's mouth lifted in a small smile. "But it would be okay." 

"I meant sober." Kili flushed at admitting that he wanted to. "Not very suspicious. I liked it too. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." 

"Can I ask you a question?" Fili took a long swig of beer, draining his bottle and giving Kili plenty of time to stop him. "Why do you think I like women? I've never brought a girl home. I've never talked to you about anyone I'm seeing. I'm just curious what gave you that idea." 

"Well, it's like the default orientation, isn't it?" Kili looked him over again, trying to imagine Fili with a man. That felt all sorts of not right—just about as wrong as any girl was with him. "You never said something, so I assumed—wait, are you actually coming out to me?" 

Fili snorted. " _Default orientation,_ " he laughed nervously. "Yeah, maybe. But it was never really my default. You've known me for seventeen years, Kili. Has anything normal ever been my default?" 

"Not really, I suppose." Kili wrapped his arms around his knees, a secretive smile on his nose and lips. "Have you been with anyone yet? You never talk about that, and since we're on the subject... You have, haven't you? My big brother likes men. I bet girls are lamenting this moment." 

"Most women think I'm weird. You know that." Fili reached for Kili's beer, took it from his hand and took a swig for courage, then handed it back. "Most men too, for that matter. I've been... I mean, I've been with this one guy off and on—from school. But it's just a _friend with benefits_ kind of thing. We aren't _in love_ or anything." 

Kili looked at Fili with a proud smile. "Look at you. You're all grown up." He tried to picture Fili with someone, which had his guts churning but his expression giving no clue. It was sweet, he supposed. "Does that mean I can now ask you to smuggle me into clubs?" 

"Clubs?" Fili pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I've been to two of them. I gotta be honest: I hate it. And I'm not dragging you there — especially while you're underage. Not that I don't enjoy your company. I just don't think you need the distractions. Or the trouble," he smirked and crossed his legs. "And I'm far from grown up. I have a paper due in two days that I haven't yet started, and I was sitting here playing High Seas." 

"You could start now," Kili offered, secretly glad that clubbing wasn't Fili's thing. "Does Mom know about it?" He slid off the wall to curl up on the bed in a small ball, the back of his head pressing against Fili's hip, and handed his brother his beer. "I'm relieved," he admitted at last. "I wouldn't have cared about your stories about girlfriends. I would have listened because you'd be the one telling me, but I wouldn't have really known what to say." 

"I don't kiss and tell," Fili smiled around the lip of the bottle in his mouth and nudged Kili with his hip. "And neither do you, apparently." A companionable silence fell between them. Then, Fili finally asked, "Do you? Date, I mean?" 

Kili quirked his brow. "Don't you think you would have known if I had?" He told Fili practically everything, wearing his heart on his sleeve always. Fili could keep a secret, and somehow Kili just never knew how to shut up around him. "Why do you think I want to go out? I'm not going to meet anyone in class. There's this one other guy in school who's out, and everyone keeps trying to match us up because 'we're gay, aren't we?' I don't like him. He looks like a stick and he's so into fashion I feel like he's not even real. No, thanks." 

"High school was awful," Fili shuddered. "Too many bigots and losers. I wasn't out. I was afraid to be," he admitted. "It'll get better when you go to college, Kili. It's a whole other world. You can be yourself. And you—why, you'll meet someone right away. I know it." 

It was true. Kili was so handsome and spoke with others with a natural ease. It was only a matter of time before he found someone special. Fili didn't like that idea one bit. "So..." he sat Kili's now empty beer aside, "how's the application process going?" 

"...Like your paper," Kili grinned. "I won't tell if you don't." He curled to look up at Fili. "If you want the truth, I have no interest in moving somewhere else. I'm good right here." 

"You were thinking of moving?" Fili's heart leapt into his throat. "I think I'd freak out if you left. But, don't let that keep you from it," he said quickly, realizing just how stalker-ish his comment was. 

His brother stared at him curiously. "You would?" The subject he wanted to pick—everyone kept telling him robolinguistics was not what they had expected of him—wasn't something taught close by, and he wouldn't mind a gap year if it meant he'd stick around another year. Though his mother would probably get on his case to make something of that year off. "Why didn't you? You're still here." 

Fili blushed and looked away. "I like it here," he whispered. "Whitman U. has a great program for social work." What he really wanted to say was _I would have missed you too much._

Kili reached up and patted his brother's cheek. "Well, I'm glad you stayed." He crawled up into a sitting position and took the bottle back, only to drink the last remaining drops. "One more?" he asked. "I'll go get a couple more. Mom and Dad won't be back for another hour at least, anyway. Coast's still clear." 

"Yeah... yeah, okay," Fili nodded. He needed those few moments while Kili was in the kitchen to pull himself together. He padded swiftly down the hall to the bathroom. "Get your shit together!" he ordered himself while urinating. A glance in the mirror told him there was little he could do to change his appearance in just a minute or so. He brushed his teeth—which he knew would ruin the taste of the beer—and returned to the bedroom he shared with his brother. He wasn't sure what was going to be said in the next few hours, but he had a feeling that things would change. 

Kili hadn't returned when he came back. From downstairs came the sound of beer bottles clinking and a fridge closing, but what was taking Kili so long from there to the stairs was a mystery. When he finally did, he threw Fili an apologetic look and quickly tossed one bottle over. "You sure you don't want to go downstairs and use the time Mom and Dad are gone to claim the living room? We can watch corny shows and put our feet on the couch." 

"No!" flew too quickly from Fili's mouth. "I mean, ugh, if I get sucked into a movie I'll never get my paper done. Can't we just," he winced at the word, even as it came from his mouth, "talk?" 

"With beer," Kili grinned. "Sure." He plopped down on his own bed, tucking his legs under him. "So, talk to me about how you figured it out. That you like guys." 

"Well," Fili twisted the cap off his beer with a practiced twist of the wrist. "I guess it was in seventh grade or so. I was invited over to a friend's house, and we were watching a movie. He kept going on and on about how hot the woman in the movie was, but all I could think was how cute her male co-star was. Heath Ledger," he raised his eyebrows. "That night I lay in bed thinking about it and came to realize I was probably gay." 

"Mh," Kili pointed a finger in the air, "very cute, yes." Blond, with a defined jaw and rosebud lips. Quite his type. "Me, I found out when a girl kissed me. She was considered very pretty, I suppose, but you know, _nothing_. I tried several more times, to figure out what it was. Then I started having eyes for this boy in class. Didn't kiss him, if that's what you want to know, but did daydream about him. A lot." 

"You've never even kissed a guy?" Fili licked his own lips nervously. 

Kili burst into a laugh. "Of course I have. I had to be sure, didn't I? Just not with him." 

Fili wasn't sure if he felt relieved or jealous. "And you liked it?" 

Falling over on the bed now, Kili nodded in between the broadest smiles. "You're something. I'm openly gay, why wouldn't I like making out? What a question is that? I mean, you sleep with some guy, kissing should hardly come as a surprise." 

"We don't..." Fili huffed air out his nose. "What I mean to say is... he doesn't kiss me. We tried once, but then he said he didn't want to. I didn't press it. Maybe some guys think it's too personal. And, to be fair, I'm not sure I really want to kiss him anyway." 

Kili rolled onto his stomach. He knew he was in for a good story. "He doesn't kiss you?! That's retarded. Is that normal?" Lack of availability made that Kili hadn't slept with anyone before. The internet was full of stories though, and not kissing didn't seem right. "So you don't _like him_ like him? It's just... easy sex?" 

"We like each other," Fili lay his head back against the wall. "But I don't love him. And I don't think he loves me either. He's a nice guy, don't get me wrong. But I guess I've been using him as a—well, as a substitute for who I really want." 

"Why don't you just tell the person you really want that you like him? Doesn't he like men?" 

Fili nodded. "Oh, he does. It's just... more complicated than that." 

"More complicated than sleeping with a guy who doesn't want to kiss you?" Kili frowned. "You deserve better, Fee." 

"This guy—the one I like— _he_ deserves better than me," Fili said solemnly. "And he's going to find it, some day." 

Kili rolled his eyes. "Like he could find someone better than you. You're super nice, and you look good, and you're just honest. If not for the fact that you let some guy get away with not kissing you, you'd be perfect. Tell him." The idea that he was helping Fili become happy was more important than selfish notions of Kili not wanting to share his brother. 

"I'm not honest, Kili," Fili said, his voice devoid of inflection. "The feelings I have, they're against the law. They are doubly against the law." 

"... Oh." Fearing that Fili was about to admit to something like pedophilia, Kili stopped the train of questions he was on. It wouldn't help Fili if Kili continued to push it. "Talk to me about him?" he asked instead. "What's he like?" 

Fili let out a relieved sigh. "He's seventeen," he said first, "and he'll be eighteen soon. He's tall with dark hair and dark eyes. His eyes... they're so expressive. When he's in the room, I have to struggle not to stare at him constantly. He's got a vibrant personality. People are drawn to him like moths to a flame. And he's got a brilliant mind. Sometimes, I'm not sure he knows how brilliant he is. Too good for this town, anyway," he smiled. "And his voice, when he speaks, it's like gentle rain on a window. It's the last thing I want to hear before falling asleep at night." 

Kili studied his brother closely when he spoke. When he had started, Kili could have sworn there was a hint of nervousness. And then that description... Though the second part wasn't so much about the person as how he was making Fili feel—heart-warming at some points, and yet making him jealous the next—he had begun by describing someone not unlike Kili. Not a lot of people his age lived in town that matched his description that closely. But Kili was scared to make assumptions despite his rapidly beating heart, and so he replied, "Sounds like a handsome person. Seventeen isn't that bad. What's the other unlawful thing about him?" 

There is was, then. Years of being brothers and on again, off again best friends. Years of standing side by side in neighborhood pickup baseball games. Years of sharing a bedroom and skirting around the inevitability of seeing one another naked, or worse, catching the other jerking off in bed late at night. It all weighed so heavily on Fili's shoulders that he sometimes hated getting up in the morning. He was burned with the sick fascination—the powerful love, and lust—that he harbored towards his little brother. 

But Kili could be leaving for college soon. If he was going to give him news that would forever drive a wedge between them, it was now, or never. 

Fili raised his head and looked Kili in the eye. "He's my brother." 

"...That's not funny." Kili was serious in the beat of a second. He pursed his lips, a glare directed at Fili, until Fili continued not to crack into a laugh or a twitch of the lips, and Kili scrambled up into a sitting position. "You're not joking. Oh my god. Fee, that's—are you sure?" 

Fili's face fell and he looked at his lap. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You can't imagine how hard this was to tell you. I don't want you to hate me, Kili. Or worse yet—be ashamed of me." 

"Why would I do that?" That would just be heartless, Kili thought. "You're amazing. I mean, sure, I didn't know you had guy feelings until just now, nor that you were interested in one. You caught me off-guard there. This just makes me consider what we're going to do about it." 

"Do?!" Fili's head shot up. "We can't _do_ anything, Kee. We just keep being brothers, and we live our lives. And I need to get over," he waved one hand around ineffectually summing up this issues, "whatever this is." 

"Do you want to kiss me?" Kili blurted out. He pressed a hand before his mouth when the words were out, his guts a right mess, but he did look up at Fili with hopes of getting an answer. 

"Do not make fun of me, Kili," Fili frowned. "I just told you a dark secret I've held for years. And please don't feel under any obligation to do anything. I'm already embarrassed enough. I shouldn't have told you!" He rolled over onto his stomach with a groan, burying his head in his arms. 

Not a moment was passed before his brother was up and at the edge of his bed, crouching to level himself with Fili. Kili tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, sorry. I wasn't making fun of you. It was an honest question. And I'm glad you told me. Look, you're supposed to be off-limits. I don't know what to make of this myself, either. Please don't feel bad." 

Fili raised his head so that only his eyes were visible to Kili. "W-what are you saying, Kili? Because this isn't a joke to me." 

"I know. It isn't to me either." Kili offered a hopeful look. "You know how people don't believe we're related all the time. I suppose there have been times that I—not that you're not a great brother, that's not what I'm saying—" He sighed. It was hard to convey. Kili had never let his imagination beget validity. It was always masked as something else; a crush on someone who wore the same smile, or a friendship with someone who reminded Kili of Fili in other ways. There had always been a comparison, though it had also always been a taboo first and foremost to himself. It still was, he realized. "I'm saying, I'm not sure, but I'm not saying no." 

Hope lit Fili's eyes. "Sometimes," he admitted, "I pretend you’re not my brother too. Like, when we're out with Mom and Dad, and you get up to go to the restroom, and you come back into the room, I think _God, who is that gorgeous guy? How can I get to know him better?_ Pretty stupid, huh?" 

"Pretty cute," Kili corrected him. His hand now lay idle on Fili's shoulder, where he let it be. "Me sleeping in your bed makes more sense now. That guy who you don't kiss still hasn't scored any brownie points with me though. Let's make a pact, all right? Whatever happens, it won't push us apart." 

Fili sat up, turned around and looked at his brother. "I don't love him," he told Kili. "I don't love anyone, except you. God help me, there isn't anyone I think about except you, Kili." 

It wasn't scary or constricting. His brother was confessing to him, and Kili could only feel a warmth that spread from his chest down to his fingers and his toes. He had known him his whole life, and by rights this was supposed to be awkward, except that it wasn't. Instead it felt right. 

Their mother could never know. Kili knew that much. He wasn't however planning on ignoring it. "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" he asked. "You can sleep in mine if you don't want to share it." 

Fili's eyes lit up and the tension he'd been harboring in his shoulders began to dissipate. "Yeah," he smiled. "That would make me really happy, Kee." 

Fili didn't want to speculate on Kili's behavior. Surely he was just being nice, the way anyone would be around a crazy person that he cared about. His brother looked so desirable sitting there in just sweatshorts and a red tank. His skin was asking to be stroked and kissed. His hair, adorably mussed. "I'm not going to molest you or anything," he assured Kili, the words out of his mouth before he could stop them. 

Contrary to breaking into another laugh, Kili nodded quietly. "How long have you liked me?" he wanted to know. "Has it been recent?" He was bordering on physical boundaries, not wanting to create more distance between them but not daring to shorten the gap further, which was why he remained sitting on his knees with his upper frame resting on the bed on his arms. 

"I've _liked_ you— _loved_ you—since the day you were born," Fili told him unflinchingly. "As far as liking you more than just as a brother... I guess that started about the time I was eighteen and you were fourteen. When your voice started to get deeper. I think I started to want you sexually when you began to mature. But," Fili's face was pink," I would never have acted on it. I would never have made you deal with that." 

At long last Kili hoisted himself up on Fili's bed and sat next to him. They didn't touch—he was mindful of that—but Kili's skin was warm as if they did. "So, when I came out, that must have been weird for you." 

"I was really happy," Fili confessed. "But I was also kinda sad. I never expected to have a chance, anyway. Why would I? I mean, look at you." 

"You mean, because we are brothers." Kili smiled ruefully. "It's the only thing that's keeping me from rushing into this. Because there's family—because _we_ are. I wouldn't have had to be told twice if we weren't." 

Hope unfurled like a fragile spring flower in Fili's chest. "You... you'd...?" he was unable to voice his most fervent desire. "With me?" 

"I'm still mulling it over." Kili winced for having to say that. "I mean, I think I want to." As he said it though, he knew that the doubt was gone. He wanted to. Kili just had to be very careful about what he did next, lest they messed something up and it'd break something between them forever. "But what if it doesn't work out?" 

"I know," Fili sighed, pain evident in his eyes. "I couldn't live with myself if you didn't like it, or if I hurt you. I'm also afraid, because it's getting harder and harder for me to be around you." 

"Still?" Kili pleaded with his eyes. "Even now that you told me?" 

"I am in love with you," Fili said the words that he'd held in his heart for four years. "But I cannot have you. So yes, it's hard being around you. All the time, wanting to... to just...," he pulled his own hands into his lap and intertwined the fingers tightly, as if to keep the extremities from betraying him. 

It was at that moment that Kili couldn't bear the distance between them any longer. Before Fili could protest, he was kissing him, their lips against each other and awaiting response. They would figure it out, whatever came next. Kili's breath stuck in his throat, his heart hammering. They had known each other for so long, and so much hung in the balance. 

After ten seconds, Fili's hands untensed and crept up into Kili's hair, giving a soft moan of pleasure as he buried them in the dark locks, deepening the kiss and pulling Kili closer. Then, suddenly, he gasped. 

"Kili, no," his eyes pleaded. "We can't... Mom will—" 

But Kili wasn't done exploring the wonderful feeling that kissing Fili summoned. "Mom's not home. Nor is dad. I'll stop, but only if you want me to." 

Fili knew this was the point of no return. "Are you _sure,_ Kee?" he asked pointedly, moving a hand to Kili's shoulder. His eyes fell to his own denim-clad crotch, where an erection was already quite obvious. "One hundred percent sure?" 

"One hundred percent," breathed his brother. "Kiss me, Fee." It was obvious to him that if he did end up sleeping in Fili's bed by now, none of it would be as innocent as he had meant for it to be. Giving up his self-inflicted boundaries turned out to be as frightening as it was liberating, and Kili didn't want to go back. He couldn't stand the thought of someone else touching Fili, of sleeping with Fili without kissing him. 

He pulled Fili back against and on top of him, effectively restraining himself between the wall and his brother. "I'm sure. I want this. We'll figure it out as we go." 

In this position, it was impossible for Fili to hide the fact that he was aroused, and impossible not to hiss when his erection came in contact with Kili's. 

God, how he wanted this! And yet, he couldn't stop feeling, now more than ever, how very wrong it was. Kili was still a child in the eyes of the law. His body below Fili's was strong and solid from years of soccer and baseball, but Kili was still a minor. And Fili was his big brother, sworn to protect him. Yet Kili's eyes, especially when he affected his patented puppy dog look, had always been Fili's undoing. 

"This is wrong," Fili said with certainty, and brought his lips to Kili's. 

"Let's worry about that later," Kili mumbled, before all of his world became kissing Fili. They were both aroused, though he wasn't going to push it that far tonight. It would be too fast. That didn't stop them from kissing like they had no tomorrow. Everything was tried, from slow to nearly frantic, and from nipping to using teeth. By the time they both paused to breathe, Kili was ready to give up those boundaries set only minutes ago. "More?" he asked. 

"Would you like me to take care of...." Fili's eyes fell to the spot where their hips met, " _that_ for you? With my hand?" 

"God, yes," Kili nodded. "Is that okay with you?" 

Fili swallowed and his throat, suddenly far too dry, clicked. "It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, Kili. Of course it's okay." He smiled, reassuringly and his hand moved to unzip Kili's jeans. He slowly slid down Kili's underwear, freeing his cock. 

Kili was thrumming with sexual anticipation, his all waiting with baited breath before Fili took him in hand. Before he could however, the sound of the door closing in the hallway froze him up, and he quickly pulled away. "I—oh god, fuck, wait." 

Fili's face grew as white as paper. "I thought you said they were gone!" he hissed, throwing a blanket up over Kili, covering him to his waist, and slipping quickly to a safe distance, where he picked up his Calculus book, hands trembling.


	5. The Plight of our Gender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili continue their tryst, away from the watchful eyes of their parents.

"They were supposed to be gone for another hour!" Kili whispered back, frustrated. He was aching between his legs, longing for Fili to kiss him again and then _do_ something about it. "Can't we lock the door?"

"There's no lock," Fili said sadly. "They just generally stay out, don't they? But you can best believe I'm going to purchase a deadbolt tomorrow."

"Can't w—"

"Fili, Kili, we're home!" their mother called from the base of the stairs. Kili cringed. He looked down at his obvious arousal. "Hi, Mom!" he called back, his voice shaky, and quickly leaned forward to kiss his brother again.

Fili was devastated, and yet he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Kili had kissed him. Kili wanted him. 

He really needed to get his own apartment, he thought, straightening his sweater.

At that moment, their mother came into the room. Fili dropped his Calculus book into his lap to cover his arousal. "Hi, Mom," he greeted her. "Do you need help with the groceries?"

"Your dad's working on that," she smiled cheekily, and paused because her eldest son looked different. "I'll have dinner ready in fifteen. Spaghetti tonight. How's your paper coming along?"

All the while, Kili sat looking down at his hands. The smile from ear to ear was impossible to hold in. Because she was bound to find out when she looked at him, he improvised. "Fili was just telling me a dreadful joke."

Fili picked up one of his pillows and tossed it at his brother, shushing him. "It's almost done, Mom. I just needed a break. We ate most of the cookies."

"And you had a few beers too, I see." She surveyed the desk, where four empty bottles sat. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

"My fault," Kili admitted. "Thanks, Mom. We'll be down in a minute." He tried to get her to go without being too obvious about it. He threw the pillow back at Fili and made an attempt to have it look natural. And he must have been effective, because their mother looked at them knowingly, rolled her eyes, and smiled, "Sure."

When she closed the door, Kili nearly groaned.

But Fili, despite the interruption, was on a high. Kili had returned his affection. "Please, tell me we'll pick this up again," he begged of his little brother after their mother had gone away downstairs.

"Mom usually sleeps around ten," Kili offered for consideration. "Or we could tell them we're going out to catch a movie. I could pretend I'm drunk when I fall asleep in your bed. We'll have to be creative. I still really want what you were just offering." He blushed, rather self-aware all of a sudden. "If you think we could."

"I really want to," Fili reminded him. "But Mom would... well, shit, if she caught us, I think she might have a stroke. Let's," he suggested, "wait until they're asleep, okay?"

Kili nodded twice. "I'm, ah, I'm going to go to the bathroom before dinner then." He twirled the hem of his shirt around a finger. "Tonight, that's a promise." But how could he spend three more hours feigning innocence when he knew what they were going to do?

"Give me ten minutes, too," Fili requested. It was obvious they both needed to deal with their erections in private. He dipped his head in shame. "I'm hoping that between now and tonight that you give this some thought and come to your senses. For your own good, Kili."

"But what if I don't? What if this is what I want?" Kili asked him, biting his lip. The only thing that was keeping them was that they were brothers, and while that should imply things being strange, it was only the matter of what others would think that was really the problem. If he listened to his heart, Kili wanted this. He got up, smiled tentatively, and was out before anyone could change his mind.

Dinner was strenuous at best. Kili, who was normally a whirlwind of words, was quiet and ate his fill as fast as he could. When asked, he said that Fili had shown him a new video game that he couldn't wait to continue. They were white lies—though Kili was interested in the game enough for it not to be completely made up—and they covered their odd looks as best as they could.

By the time he was excused from the table, Kili ran back up to the room so that nobody noticed how much he anticipated being alone with Fili again.

Fili was settled down at their desk, typing into his computer. He had two philosophy textbooks open next to him. "Did you know," he asked his brother when he entered, "that Descartes thought that colors were subjective? That it's very possible we all see the color blue differently—even when we all mutually agree that blue is blue. Isn't that weird?"

"Did you know," Kili raised a brow, "that the Japanese have one word that means both blue and green?" He was leafing through application forms in order to get his mind out of the gutter. "Are you working on your thesis?" 

It was only eight when he checked the time.

"Nah." Fili smiled. "This is just a short paper, due Monday. It's about the philosophy of perception. Hrm, interesting. I wonder if the Japanese are color blind, or if it has something to do with the ocean," he mused. He'd say anything to avoid the topic that was—almost—at hand.

"I don't know," shrugged his brother. "Hey. Do you feel like going for a walk? As a break sort-of-thing?"

Fili shook his head. "I have to finish this, Kili. I'm sorry. I won't get to it later. Not if things... well, I'd like to do it while I can. I don't want to lose my scholarship."

They both looked at each other, but it was Kili who at last removed himself from the equation. "Of course. Listen, I'm going to go for that walk, and then maybe some TV downstairs. You can focus, and so will I." He got up, a bit nervous, then left Fili alone in the bedroom. Kili was finally able to breathe when he took a step outside. This, he realized, wasn't going to be easy.

It was hard for Fili not to let his thoughts wander. He reasoned that if he was to spend any quality time with his brother that evening, it would be all the more rewarding if he finished his homework first. The essay wasn't his best, but it would get an A. He always got A's.

His father swung through to check in on him before he went to bed, in his usual blustery, testosterone-laden manner. He ruffled Fili's hair more roughly than Fili found comfortable, but his words were kind.

How would he ever be able to tell this man that he was gay? 

When Kili came up, it was half an hour past their mother's bedtime. The television had continued to be on, and Kili had thought that it wouldn't be a bad thing to make sure they were really asleep before he at last headed up. He closed the door behind him, quietly moved a chair in front of it for good measure, and swallowed.

Now that they were in the same room again, it was obvious what was going to happen. Without a word, he moved to his bed and changed into the top half of his pajamas, before getting into Fili's bed with cheeks ablaze.

"I had a hard time focusing on writing," Fili told his brother, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I kept thinking about what would happen once you got into my bed." His hand trembled when he lifted it to smooth a curl away from Kili's forehead. "You look scared."

Kili smiled nervously. "We're sneaking around, aren't we? And I kind of haven't done this before."

"Do you really want me to be your first?" Fili's heart plummeted. "Because whenever you look back on this, it'll be me you remember. And when people ask 'who was your first,' you'd have to avoid telling them it was your brother."

"I'd tell them it is none of their business," whispered Kili. His words were braver than his expression. "I left some empty beer bottles on the table. If they find me in your bed, I can always claim I wasn't thinking straight. I can't think of anyone else but you. Are you having doubts?"

"Not because I don't want to," Fili assured him, taking off his glasses and putting them on his desk. He pushed out of his jeans and pulled his sweater off over his head. He was left in a pair of dark blue boxers. "I'm thinking of how it might affect you."

He was everything Kili wanted in a man. Though Kili wanted to watch him longer, he raised the sheets and invited Fili in. "I'm sure," whispered he when they lay on their sides facing each other, only inches apart. His hand reached for the light and switched it off, before it crawled up his brother's hip, his eyes at Fili's lips while he waited for him to make a move. Kili's heart was going mad. "You're cold. Don't worry, I can be quiet."

Kili, at that moment, looked and sounded so _young_. Fili wanted to leap from the bed and run away. But at the same time the smell of his brother and the warm, soft skin, the unruly dark hair... he didn't want to be anywhere else.

"I love you, Kee," Fili whispered. "Love you more than anyone else."

Happy tears sprang into Kili's eyes. "I want you. Just you." But sadness wove a note into it. "You're hesitating, aren't you? We're going too fast. Tell me, Fee. Do you want to go slow? Should I go back to my own bed?"

"No!" the word came, almost harshly, from Fili's throat, and he lay his hand possessively over Kili's hip. "Please, stay. I want this, Kili, more than anything." He leaned forward and kissed Kili's forehead.

The gesture was sweet and appreciated. Be that as it may, Kili shifted under the blankets until their chests were almost touching and their legs were allowed to be entangled. He caught Fili in a kiss. It was slow at the start, mainly due to frayed nerves, picking up until it reached breathlessness. Every small noise had them still until they determined it was safe to continue.

They were _kissing_ , intimately close. The madness of it struck Kili as insane in a very good way. This was Fili, who had been there for him when he got into fights, and who always gave him a ride when it was raining. Who had been his best friend as a kid, and then grown up into a beautiful man—a man, Kili realized, whom he had always looked up to and loved, rather boldly differently in recent years.

He took hold of Fili's hand, moving it between them, then to the front of his boxers. All along, neither of them made a sound.

Fili cupped his brother's erection, eyes never leaving Kili's face. He began slowly to pleasure him, his own breath coming in stuttering gasps as he began to fully comprehend what they were doing. The pressure and intensity grew, and the speed along with it. "Kili," Fili whispered, "I want you to come in my hand."

The very though was so vivid that Kili nearly groaned. In an attempt to silence himself, he endeavored to kiss Fili again. His hips moved on their own accord between them. With his boxers pushed just low enough for the other to get a good grip, they were constricting just as they made sure he didn't get too carried away. Kili had only ever done this to himself. Someone else jerking him off was both frustrating—as the hand was yet unfamiliar with how he liked it—and several times more satisfying.

The tiniest of sounds escaped him when it all became too overwhelming. Kili gasped into the kiss, the muscles in his abdomen clenching. Then he was suddenly kissing Fili hard, a sticky wetness coating Fili's knuckles while Kili rode out his orgasm. "Oh _god_ ," he breathed.

Fili chuckled, relieved, and lay his forehead against his brother's. "That was fantastic," he insisted. "Clandestine and fantastic."

"Fantastic," Kili repeated in worship. "I could do that all day. How are you doing?"

"I'm... all right," Fili smiled. "I'm hard. It's the plight of our gender, isn't it?"

"Can I?"

A hand was already requesting permission, trailing along the band of Fili's underwear. Kili was breathing like he had just run a match and won it. In Fili's arms, he felt like a ball of energy that refused to be contained, no matter how hard it tried. He pressed a wet kiss in the crook below his brother's ear, and on impulse he pressed their hips together.

Kili scrambled back as soon as he noticed what he was doing. "Sorry," he laughed. "I haven't felt this good in a long time. Please tell me that I can."

"I was hoping you might," Fili smiled. "But you don't have to, Kee." And yet his hips were unconsciously canting in Kili's direction.

In his ear, Kili breathed, "But I want to." If Fili expected him to be the blushing virgin, he could only depend on the second word being true. Kili was on a high and, more than that, he had had his fair share of imagining what he would do in a situation like this. They were both men—he knew what was to be expected. While he had not allowed himself to star his big brother in the lead, Kili did now. In exploration, he cupped Fili's ass before he slid his hand to the front of Fili's underwear and, without breaching the last barrier of fabric between them, fondled him.

The anticipation made him stifle a groan. "You feel really good."

Fili closed his eyes against the all-too-quickly rising pleasure. His fuck-buddy at school had never touched him with such tenderness and adoration. And while he bodily enjoyed their illicit trysts, it always felt like something was missing.

Tears sprang up in Fili's eyes and he swallowed them back. "Thank you," he whispered. "Please, don't stop."

"Of course not." Kili wouldn't dream of it. Although his hands twitched to proceed, he continued the lack of skin contact because he knew it would feel good. He made up for it with his mouth, which was now passing the clavicle before meeting its twin—nipples were something for next time—and licking into Fili's mouth once again. The door and the chair in front of it were no longer on his mind. Kili tucked his hand in.

As opposed to the rest of his brother's body, the confines were hot to the touch. Kili scratched the coarse hair out of curiosity, his eyes black in the night and locked with Fili's. He wanted more. Not all of it, as he knew that wasn't wise, yet Kili's boundaries extended far enough that he tried how it felt to have his own exposed erection pressing against the other's.

"Don't do anything you don't want to do," Fili whispered. "Promise me."

Kili looked up from following the words on his lips. "All right." He looked over him at the door. Not a sound. "But I really want to be on top of you."

"Then get on top of me," Fili's teeth gleamed as he smiled. "Rub me with your body, Kili."

In his inexperience Kili had to smile, until being abashed made room for seizing the opportunity. In one motion that was anything but smooth he got himself up. The blanket was stuck between them and the bed creaked, and both stilled in mortification.

In that silence, still, their bodies tingled with desire.

Fili snickered. "We've made more noise than this late at night and they never came to see what we were up to," he tried to allay his brother's concerns, grunting as he pulled the blanket away. "C'mon, Kee. He spread his hand in the small of Kili's back and brought their pelvises closer together. Please?"

That helped to distract Kili from the thought of their parents. He supported himself on his hands and smiled, clumsily burrowing himself against Fili's neck while his hips rolled experimentally. It took a few tries before Kili's body wanted more and started moving beyond his conscious decision. What was left of Kili's orgasm stuck between their bellies. "...Give me a moment and I swear, I'm going for round two," he moaned.

Fili curled one ankle around his brother's and kissed him softly. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Kee. You can lower your weight on me. It won't hurt me."

"Okay," stammered Kili in his lust-induced haze. Though he wasn't watching so much as feeling, Fili had never been so beautiful to him as he was tonight. His brother had more experience and should by rights be on top instead of him. Nothing would make him give up this position though. He gave it a try.

A minute later, Kili was kissing him everywhere, Fili's underwear removed and his legs around his younger brother's waist, and every thrust brought them closer to completion.

Fili closed his eyes and tried to stave off his orgasm. He wanted Kili to come again. And by the sound of it, Kili was close. A sheen of sweat had formed on both of them, and made the undulations of their bodies that much easier.

He kissed Kili, drawing his brother's tongue into his mouth.

"Fee—" Kili whimpered. He was so close. Nothing mattered but the way they melted together. Next time, he was going to have Fili on top of him.

"Come, Kili," Fili whispered wetly in his brother's ear. "Because I'm going to—" and his body arched up as if he'd been shocked. "Oh.... _god_ ," he groaned, clinging to Kili. "God, Kee..."

Kili smiled through his panting. "I'm not done," he whispered, as if it surprised him too. Kissing him like he couldn't get enough of it, he cupped his face. "Do you want me to stop now?"

Without a word, Fili continued the slow gyrations of his hips. His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, found Kili's and they held. "We can't have that..." he whispered.

"I've had my share," Kili countered, though he did not stop moving. The world had become a hazy blur and he knew he was a mess. They both smelled of sweat, kissing and panting in a union that had stopped distinguishing them as two individuals. Kili had never expected it to be like this. He was falling for him with every roll of his hips. Absently he thought he should have used his hands more, though the thought hadn't come up after he had rolled atop his brother. "Just—" he panted, "just—"

A small cry got swallowed when Kili came for the second time. Exhausted and sated, he wrapped his arms under and around Fili's waist. The hallway was just as quiet as it had been before. Outside, snow was still falling. Kili kissed Fili's salty chest. "Thank you."

Exhausted, and happier than he felt he deserved to be, Fili slid closer to the wall, giving Kili room to fall down next to him in the narrow bed. "Was it what you thought it might be?" He wondered, after they had lain quietly for a few moments.

"No." Kili's eyes twinkled. "I didn’t expect this much." When he breathed in, he realized his hair was sticking to his skin, and he laughed. "We need a shower. Your bed's going to smell. Is that what it's going to be like? When we go, you know," he had the decency to look down, "go all the way?"

"Heh, not quite," Fili chuckled. "It's even messier. And I have to warn you that depending on whether you want to," he cleared his throat, "give or receive, it can be painful the first couple times."

"Oh. Right, that's what you hear. But I'm sure we could prepare? I don't think I really want to hear about you and the uh, other guy, but when you two—well, do you give? Or do you usually receive? I mean, in general."

It was too dark to see Fili's blush, but Kili, who'd known his brother for nearly eighteen years, could hear the embarrassment in his voice. "In general?" he chuckled nervously. "I receive. I tried fucking him once, but he didn't like it. I might have been bad at it, or maybe he just didn't like it. It does hurt. You have to prepare and relax. But it also feels really, really good. But Kee, I'm not going to do that do you until you've turned eighteen."

"That's four months!" Kili burst out. "Why? People my age sleep together, you know." As Kili still had trouble saying the words 'fucking' or 'sex'—the first sounded so cold and the second so intimate—he avoided them. That didn't mean he wasn't ready. The idea that someone else had been taking his brother upset him. "You're only four years older. And what if I'm on top?"

"People _my_ age can get a criminal record that keeps them from having jobs for sleeping with people _your_ age," Fili reminded him. "Please, Kili, don't fight me on this. I want to be a teacher. I'll never get a job like that if it's made public that I had sex with my underage brother. No sex until you're eighteen," he said resolutely. "But we can do other stuff," he added.

"Like?" his underage brother raised one brow, all ears. He knew, of course. To have Fili tell him the things he had in store was better than admitting to a fair amount of Internet research. He wriggled in bed, tugging the blanket further up.

Even now, they were diametric opposites. Fili pushed the blanket down his own sweaty body to pool at his ankles.

"Touching," Fili told him, "and if you want to, we could use our mouths."

"When Mom and Dad are out of the house. We wouldn't have to sneak around. I don't like sneaking around, though you're worth it." A digit traced Fili's curves and rested at the stubble that was starting to appear. "This is new. I like it. Do you think it'd look good on me?"

"A beard?" Fili raised his eyebrows. "I just didn't feel like shaving. But if I'm going to be kissing you more often, I'll shave. I promise. Beard burn's no fun," he added with a smile. Then he yawned. "I'll pick up a deadbolt tomorrow."

"All right." Kili could not suppress a yawn of his own. He snuggled his half-naked body into the sheets, then had the sense to pull up his boxers and hand Fili his own pair, which had ended up pressed underneath him in the madness. "Kiss me in the morning? So I’ll know it wasn't a dream?"

\- - - - -

Kili was awakened the next morning by the sound of Fili collecting his books and shoving them into a backpack. As he leaned over Kili, the smell of clean hair and body wash wafted over with him. Fili whispered, "It's seven-fifteen. You need to get ready for school." Then he kissed his lips.

Smiling like a lazy cat in sunlight, Kili stretched and curled into himself under Fili's blankets. "Morning," he croaked, at last opening his eyes. Fili showed no regret.

Which was good, because he didn't have any either.

\- - - - -

**PRESENT DAY, MIDDLE EARTH**

"You're leaving town?" Legolas looked petulant—frustrated was too mature a word for the pout he was brandishing—and folded his arms. "I thought we agreed—"

"Actually," Ori interjected, "we didn't agree to anything. You wanted to come with us."

"She's still in the city!"

"But Kili—"

"Kili's safe! He wrote a letter! My friend is not!"

Fili wanted more than anything to find a horse and ride out through the gates of town and find his brother. And Thorin was alive! His reclusive uncle who he'd been living with for the past several years—thought lost and dead—was alive. Yet another reason to run. Yet, he knew what Legolas was going through.

"Was she turned, your friend?" he asked Legolas. "Can we save her?"

Legolas looked at the bow in his hand. "I do not know. We were supposed to meet at the rendezvous point if we got separated, but she never made it there. I spent hours waiting for her. I did not think to leave a message. Can we at least go there once more so I can leave a note? It won't take long, but I have to..."

"Where?" Gloin asked gruffly, young Gimli by his side. "On our way to the South Gate?"

"...West Quarter."

The rest of the party looked at each other. They were in East, now, and it would be a long detour.

"I'll go with him," Fili insisted, "If no one else will."

"I won't let you go without a healer," Ori told them. "Even if it's just me."

Gimli's eyes went to his father. "You helped me, dad. We have to help as many as we can."

As it turned out, young Gimli had persuasive skills when it came to his father and uncle, and Bofur when faced with the choice, did not fancy going alone. And so they all set out on foot for the West Quarter.

Ori eventually walked up to Fili at the front when they were on their way. "Hi," he smiled. "I was wondering, a lot of things have happened since we met, and I'm still a little confused about it all. You said it was a game earlier?"

Fili sighed sadly. "It is. It _was_ for me and my brother anyway. Legolas, too. Tell me," he turned to Ori, "how did you get to the marketplace that day we met? Do you remember?"

"I walked, of course." What a funny thing to be asking. It had taken Ori almost a day to get there. Staying overnight at an inn alone hadn't been very pleasant. "How do you mean, it was a game? You were killing monsters. Well, sure, they're evil, but I wouldn't think..."

How could it be that some of these people—Gloin, Oin, Gimli and Ori—seemed and felt as if they really belonged in Middle Earth, while others like Fili, Kili and Legolas felt it was, until recently, a game they were playing?

And how the _hell_ was his Uncle Thorin here? Thorin, who, until the time of his disappearance almost a year earlier, had been working as a developer on this very game. Middle Earth was a game.

But why did it feel so real now?


	6. Glitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Tauriel continues. Fili tells Ori he's not from Middle Earth.
> 
> Six years earlier, Fili and Kili get careless with their displays of affection.

"So.. Middle Earth is your home?" Fili asked Ori, checking the buckles on his armor. He tried not to let on how freaked out he was becoming.

Ori looked Fili over with a frown. "Of course it is. Isn't it yours? You sound like you're from the stars." His eyes widened. "You aren't though, right? I'm not accidentally talking to a god descended from the heavens, am I? Oh, Dori always said I shouldn't talk so much. I'm so sorry!"

Fili chuckled nervously. "I'm not a god, Ori. I'm just a person. But," he leaned in closer to the redhead, "and this is something I'd rather you not discuss with the others—my brother and I, well, this is really is a game to us. We were playing on two separated computers. Me in California and him in Boston. We only started playing a few days ago. But somehow, in the past 48 hours, it became... _real._ "

Ori laughed. "What's a computer? I've never heard of California or Boston. Now that you mention it, it must be far away. You talk differently. So this game... what's it about? What are the rules?"

Certain that Ori now thought he was quite mad, Fili figured he might as well continue. "Well, there aren't a lot of rules. That's the nature of an online roleplaying game. It's open-world. You choose a basic profession, but then you hone it. You can be a healer, but also dabble in white magic. Or a dual-wielding warrior who has some defensive shields. I—do you really not know where California is, or are you messing with me?"

Ori scrunched up his nose. "On what line are you playing a role? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about at all. Is that bad? Is it a grown-up thing I'm supposed to know about? California... is it on the other side of the sea? They say there's something on the other side of it, though those who go there tend not to come back."

Fili was at a loss for words. Ori, apparently, was part of the gaming engine... a genuine NPC, or non-player character. But he seemed like he was sentient. Maybe he had yet to realize he wasn't. Either way, it was obvious the conversation was confusing and upsetting to Ori. "I suppose I'm just a little confused," he told Ori instead. "I didn't sleep much last night and I was tossed about a bit by those cave goblins. I'm sure everything will sort itself out."

_I hope so at least._

The young healer was not prone to making people feel bad about something. He smiled and bumped into Fili kindly. "I suppose it's new to us both. My brothers never told me much about the world, except that it's dangerous. Let's just make it through alive and meet up with Kili at the port. Tell me about where you're from?"

"I spent most of my life in Boston—well, technically, closer to Salem, a smaller town about thirty minutes away. The winters there are pretty cold, but the rest of the year, especially in the fall, it is beautiful. The place is a mecca year round for those interested in the occult, or just the history of the Salem Witch Trials. My mother ran this hokey wax museum with a witch tour." He chuckled at the memory. 

Fili could tell Ori had no idea what he was talking about, so he changed the subject. "I moved to California—three thousand miles across the country—to live with my uncle. There, he helped me go to grad school. Then," Fili looked down sadly, "he went missing." 

"Oh. Oh no." Ori didn't know what a museum was, nor grad school; he kept it to himself and focused on what he did know. "Did you find him again? Or is it why you're here? I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Ori! Fili!" Bofur called from behind, merrily humming a tune despite the graveness of the situation. "Fancy a smoke?"

Fili shook his head. "Thanks, Bofur, but no."

Ori's eyes lit up and he pulled his pipe from his satchel. "Is that fresh pipeweed? It's one of the things my brothers asked me to pick up in town," he frowned. "It could be awhile until I see them again, I suppose."

He was soon equipped with a delicately worked pipe and an amount of pipe weed that could bring a small town a smoking addiction. "You know," Bofur swung an arm over Ori's shoulder conversationally, "I haven't seen a zombie in half an hour. I'm sure we weren't here yesterday. Do you think they could have fled?"

Fili let out a sigh. Uncle Thorin had mentioned when trying to sell Fili on the game that one of the chief features would be world events—out-of-the-ordinary occurrences like villager raids, zombie infestations and earthquakes—that occasionally happened to spice things up. 

Could it be possible that this whole zombie incident was just that? But why were he and Kili here? _Really_ here? It was like something out of a bad movie. He hoped that when he found his brother and uncle that Thorin would provide him with answers. Fili needed to get back to his life.

Or did he?

These were the questions he pondered as he followed Bofur and Ori, inhaling a great amount of second hand smoke. Legolas picked up a determined stride, and they all struggled to keep up with him.

It took them two hours before, at long last, the ranger stopped. "This is it." He looked around and allowed nobody to interrupt him. She could still be here.

"What does she look like?" Oin asked. "We can help look."

"Is she hot?" Gimli uselessly supplied. He was instantly punished with a glare. "What? Just asking? This place looks abandoned, man. Not even normal people, just... empty." The trade market, one of the highlights of the city's commerce, stood devoid of life. "Wait a minute, that's not right."

"What, lad?" Gloin approached his son. "What is it?"

"This place. Where did all the people go?" Gimli shivered, and Ori—who recalled stories of his brother about the riches of this square—mirrored the sentiment.

"Have you written your note?" Gloin asked. "Can we go? He's right, something is terribly wrong with this place. I can feel it in my limbs."

Fili whispered to Legolas, "It's just that the NPCs haven't respawned yet, right? The whole zombie thing... I think it was a world event. Your friend. Is she _like us?_ "

"I don't think they're NPCs," Legolas replied with mortification. "Tauriel is a friend, from outside. To be honest, I am not sure whether 'outside' still applies. NPCs are supposed to be predictable. They are always in the same place, unless they have a clear reason to be somewhere else. They do the same thing every day. And Ori, Bofur, Gimli... they're not programmed. I can tell they're not. But I can also tell that I don't want to see what happens if I turn and die. I have a bad feeling about this, Fili."

"My uncle was one of the developers of Middle Earth." Fili could tell that Legolas understood exactly what he meant, because he didn't look as confused as Ori. In fact, his eyebrows shot upward. "He had copies of the game reserved for me and my brother. We lived on opposite sides of the country, and I suppose he thought it was one way we could spend time together. Is that how it is for you and Tauriel?"

Legolas shook his head. "We are on the same team. We were put on a project to analyze the game, how it could be used... how others could take advantage of it. It's a potentially dangerous product, to stimulate all the senses and simulate reality. The others of my unit are in other cities. That you managed to get access is remarkable. It hasn't been approved for any audience yet, especially after the suspicious disappearance of the technical lead. Oakenshield, I believe his name was. Did your uncle know him?" He looked around. No sign of Tauriel. "It doesn't feel like we're still in a sim. If we are, it's more dangerous than we could have imagined. I haven't been able to log out for two days. I'm concerned about my physical self, out there."

"Thorin Oakenshield _is_ my uncle," Fili told him. "Kili and I have been here for forty-eight hours, too. We put on those special headphones that came with the game and logged in, then we were here. For a while I thought it was just super, super immersive. But I felt pain when that goblin threw me across the cave. That was real, Legolas. What does this mean for us? How the hell did we get here? Can we die here?"

"Thorin Oakenshield is your uncle?" Legolas looked him over with newfound respect. "I see. This game isn't meant to be out for the public yet, but I understand how you skirted past that then. The official rule was to be that character death led to disconnection. But I haven't been disconnected once. Have you? Frankly, I'm concerned that if I die again, it will be for real." Not sure whether to tell the next, Legolas inspected his bow. "Our team consisted of three at first. All of us died several times, to test if it was safe. But then the plague broke out. My other team member died once after that. I haven't seen him since. That's when I lost Tauriel. Well," he sighed, "best not linger in a place like this." He scribbled a quick note, placed it on a central pillar in plain sight, and returned. "Let's find your brother."

Fili's felt his heart drop down to his chainmail sabatons. "I'm sorry about your friend," he said quietly. "The others, they aren't like us. They don't understand. Hell, I don't understand. The discs came to me in the mail from one of my uncle's colleagues. Middle Earth, early alpha testing… have fun, the note said." Fili's face grew noticeably paler. "This," he gestured at his armor and weapons, "this isn't me. I'm an English teacher!”

"But you wanted to be this. You wouldn't have picked this likeness if you didn't. Aside from your basic build, you could have picked anything." Legolas started walking away from the market. The others joined up with them, each of them keeping their weapon at the ready. Legolas continued their conversation in a hushed voice. "I work for the military, Fili. Why do you think I picked this fashion? Why did I not pick a gun or a barbarian class? It's meant to be a game. Except it no longer is. We're one of the few in this _world_ —for lack of a better word—who got to decide who they were beforehand. Wait till you see what Tauriel has done to her hair."

Fili, of course, didn't know Tauriel, so a change in her hairstyle wouldn't affect him in any way. "I wanted to be strong, I guess," he admitted to Legolas. "You know, to protect my brother." He shrugged. "I'm learning now that maybe I would have been smarter to choose healing as a profession."

"I'm hungry," Ori muttered to Bofur behind them.

"That's the pipeweed talking," the older man said gently.

Ori giggled. "Perhaps you're right. Still, I'm hungry."

Fili reached into his knapsack and pulled out an apple he'd found in town the previous afternoon. "Here, Ori," he offered it to the other man.

Ori gratefully accepted it. As he lingered alongside Fili and Legolas, taking up trivial subjects for an attempt at light-hearted conversation, the topic of the real world was closed and not again brought up that day.

Half an hour later, even Bofur remarked, "I've never seen this city so devoid of trouble. Not even the rats come out for a challenge."

"Good thing we're getting out of here," Gloin nodded. "I have a friend who knows someone who is a hand in this household with private stables." He stopped in front of a towering building that could have been a palace, and scraped his throat. "Horses of Rohan. And he owes me a favor."

Fili looked up. Four evergreen flags with running white stallions on them hung listlessly instead of waving in the breeze. The home—or was it a fortress?—was large and might have been beautiful at one time, but now it seemed just as dull as its surroundings. In the distance, he could hear the whickering of a number of horses.

Ori hurried ahead before any of them could stop him. He pushed the door open and followed the sound until it took him to the back of the house, leading into a courtyard that was closed from the street by a large fence. "Oh, oh no!" he whimpered when it was clear that the owners of the establishment had left like the rest of the city and left eight horses to their devices for two days. The poor creatures were famished and could barely stand.

He went about searching for the oats, filling the troughs with water from the well in the center. "These poor creatures are starving," he told Bofur. "A hand?"

"If they're hungry, it must mean no one's been caring for them," Fili frowned. And that could only mean that the zombies—or another force of evil—had either killed the household or caused everyone to flee. Fili didn't know much about horses, but none of these looked well enough to travel. "Why would they leave on foot?" he wondered. "Seems crazy when you have such nice horses."

Bofur rattled the gate. "I think I have an idea." The lock was jammed. Someone must have tried to lock himself away from the hordes, and left through a different way out. He looked around at any signs. They remained hidden. "I don't like this place, guys. Let's see if we can patch the horses up and take them out through the front door, but I'm not spending the night here or anywhere else in this city if I can help it."

"Do we have an hour?" Ori asked. "They need to catch their strength. Those we don't take, I'll set free. They'd die if we leave them here."

"The people who lived here couldn't have left too capriciously or willingly," Legolas noted. "Not if they loved their horses enough to have them on their banners." He gave the gate a solid kick, then another, and the lock splintered under its force.

"We need to pick the healthiest of the lot," Gloin instructed, "but we feed them all."

"What do horses eat?" Fili hated to ask. He found bales of hay in the corner of the stable, but wasn't that for bedding? He felt like an idiot.

"I'm working on it," smiled Ori. Nori had brought a horse home once, of which he had loved taking care until the rightful owner came and demanded it back. Ori now ran back and forth between a barrel containing oats and the stables. "Check if they left any food for us?" he asked. "It doesn't look like anyone will be back anytime soon."

Bofur grinned. "I thought you'd never ask," called he, obviously pleased with the go-ahead for theft. But he stopped at the door, frowning. "Hey, fellows? Are you hearing that?"

\- - - - -

The waves crashed and flowed into wet sand outside the rowdy tavern. One floor up and with the faint noise of both the sea and the crowd downstairs, a small group of men were gathering.

"We can only stay for two days," said an old man with a beard white as snow and the silhouette of a wise man, if not for the patch that covered a perfectly fine eye but bestowed upon him all the prejudices that belonged to a pirate. He rolled up a piece of paper. "We must not dally longer. We'll lose precious time. I understand you want to wait, but in all honesty, lad, there's no telling whether anyone found your note, let alone read it."

"Two days." Kili prayed that it was enough, that he could survive this long. "Are you saying you expect we'll remain logged in at least another _two actual days_? Am I not supposed to eat?"

As his uncle's second-in-command, Balin opposite him knew. Still, that did not comfort Kili much. All that left the man's mouth so far was kindly meant, but highly disturbing.

"Eat whenever you like, Kili." Thorin patted his nephew on the back. "I'll buy you a plate of beef and cheese when we get inside. Fruit and vegetables are in short supply here in Arda, ever since the blight started."

"That explains all the dust," a taller, bald man with a spate of tattoos across his knuckles and forehead muttered.

"And the price of meat," the white-haired man lamented. "Once the vegetation goes, the animals are sure to follow."

"But can't you do something about it? You built this world after all." Kili looked around. None of the men would meet his gaze. "It was supposed to be possible to travel through portals, but they all seem to be shut down, and every day we're here, we have no idea what is happening back home. I've got my grad thesis deadline coming up, I can't afford to stay away that long."

Thorin leaned over and whispered in Kili's ear, "We're still in very early alpha testing, nephew. Portals don't work yet. It facilitates exploration. The parameters of this game—the immersion—it's vastly exceeding anything any of the developers thought possible. And we seem to have a big problem. A bug, if you will."

Though he didn't let anything on, it chilled Kili, because it meant that Thorin too had no clue as to what was going on, himself. Still, Thorin was still here. It had been so long since he had gotten missing. Had he been trapped in the game all along? They had never found anything—not even a body, hooked to a computer while its mind was in a sim. "Can we fix it from the inside? Why didn't you plan in a way of communicating?"

"The immersion, lad," Balin spoke quietly. "Adding a means of communication wouldn't befit this world. We thought it would be best left for a later stage. I regret that now. Two days, but then we must be going. We cannot wait until it infects other parts of the game. We should not be waiting at all."

"But Fili..."

"Aye, that's why we wait, isn't it?" Balin shook his head. "Which I understand, though it's not optimal for our chances."

Thorin poured himself a glass of wine. He offered Kili one as well. "I'm sorry. I should have never gotten you two involved."

Thorin leaned back and took a long sip of his wine. "It's the headphones, near as we can figure, that tipped the balance. They, combined with the game's mechanics and soundtrack, offer some sort of hypnotic suggestion."

"That's our current theory anyway," Balin frowned. "That, or that a certain personality type is susceptible to the immersion."

"A personality type? Like what?" Kili had continued to glance outside since arriving here, but Balin had his devoted attention now. "Of the people I know, we don't look very alike. No offense, Uncle."

"People who really get into roleplaying," Thorin nodded thoughtfully. "People who can adapt quickly and almost effortlessly to surprisingly new situations. I remember you and your brother were always playing cops and robbers, and knights and wizards, when you were kids. It's why I considered the two of you for alpha testing."

Kili didn't have the heart to tell Thorin that the biggest reason he had begun playing this game was to see Fili again. He hadn't been able to see his brother in years, except on uncomfortable family moments like Christmas, where he was always chaperoned by his mother who refused to leave him out of sight. He had been so happy to spend time with Fili's alter ego, who had turned out to be the same person but in medieval wear, as the game decreed. "I suppose," he sighed. "I think I'm going for a walk. Are there any glitches I should look out for?"

Thorin chuckled, but the sound contained little mirth. "Just stay within sight of the inn," he suggested. "And be careful what you say to others. Not everyone here is an actual human. And some of the others are, but haven't figured it out yet."

As Kili walked out the door to the hall, he looked over his shoulder. What had Thorin meant by that? He drew his hood over his head and checked his weapons twice before going out into the small port city.

In his real life, he had never spent much time by the sea. Kili wondered if it had the same salty smell and if the wind was truly that strong. He dug his hands in his pockets and headed further into town. Without Fili, the game wasn't half as attractive. Commoners who showed interest in him or merchants trying to get their goods sold were given no response. 

It was much like he had been when they had just been separated.

\- - - - - - 

**SIX YEARS EARLIER**

Fili stopped by the Back Bay Hardware Store, true to his word, and bought a simple deadbolt. It wouldn't withstand someone trying to kick down the door, but it would keep a curious parent out long enough for pants to be pulled up and separate beds to be manned.

The next few weeks were amazing. Kili and Fili spent as much time as they could together. Kili worked on filling out four college applications and writing the essays while Fili worked on his honors thesis.

Each night, they went just a bit further than before. It wouldn't be long until Kili was eighteen and they could truly go all the way.

Kili hardly made it outside their bedroom when he was at home. He occasionally helped his mother prepare dinner when she was busy, and he went out for a late-night walk to the cafeteria to catch up with friends from school only because he knew it would keep the suspicion away.

Next to his bed, hidden in the top drawer of his bedside stand, was a pack of cigarettes. If one of their parents ever wanted to come in and they had the deadbolt on, they needed an excuse. Pretending to smoke wasn't something that Kili liked to do, but it was better than being discovered making out—or worse—with his brother.

Only a few more days. To make a point, Kili had hung up a calendar and crossed off every day that passed. His father had once seen it and laughed, promising to help him get registered to vote, but that was not what Kili was looking forward to.

He rolled onto his stomach on his bed and, the tip of his thumb jutted between his lips, watched Fili until he noticed.

When Fili finally glanced up from the pages of his psychology text, he did a double take. "You're so _bad_ , Kili," he whispered. "You make me want to do bad things."

Kili practically purred. "I'm just looking at you and enjoying the view." Which was true, though it didn't mean Kili wasn't fast becoming addicted to doing more than looking. "Almost done?"

A lock of Fili's hair slipped free from his ponytail to brush his cheek, and he pushed it back behind his ear with a practiced motion. "Yeah." He licked his lips unconsciously, eyeing the skin exposed above the waistband of Kili's shorts. "I think I'm done. How could I focus on child psychology when you're lying there like that?" Slowly, he closed his book.

"I could go?" A curve around Kili's lips said that he'd be rather disappointed if Fili said yes to that. Wriggling his hips once was his insurance that his brother wouldn't. "I'm bored."

"Shut the door," Fili suggested, pulling his t-shirt over his head in one fluid motion. "I can help with that."

No more words wasted, Kili got up off his bed and pushed the door shut with his hips. He turned, dimmed the lights as had become customary in their sneaking around, and pulled off his shirt while returning to Fili's bed. They were sleeping in the same bed almost every night now, and by now Fili's had become Kili's bed more than his own. He crawled on top of his brother's lap. "I've been waiting all day for this. Classes were dreadful. Everyone keeps guessing about who I've fallen for. I have to keep pretending it's no one, but I don't think anyone buys it."

"Good," was all Fili could say. "You're really cute when you're flustered. And that thumb thing?" he scoffed. "Well, that should be illegal. It's practically pornographic." He gave a lurch with his hips so that Kili could feel exactly how much _that thumb thing_ had turned him on.

Kili grinned, tilting Fili's head up to search out his mouth with his own. He knew exactly what effect any fixation on his lips would have. Nipping at the other's fingertips—or taking all of the finger into his mouth—was a weakness which he exploited gladly. "I would rather put my mouth elsewhere," he whispered hotly, before a hand eased Fili onto his back.

Fili didn't argue. Once Kili offered, a week ago, to try to give him a blowjob, there was no stopping him. And as fate would have it, he was really getting quite good at it. It wasn't a surprise. Kili had always had an oral fixation as a child.

_Stop thinking about him as a child!_ scolded a voice in his head. _That's exactly what guys like you do._

But, between his legs, Kili was no child. He was a man—a man giving his lover a blowjob.

"God, Kili..." Fili whispered, letting his head fall back weakly in total supplication.

In only a few days, Kili had figured out exactly what Fili liked when he had his mouth on him. He had explored the possibilities every night; sometimes, if they were up early, even before class. He pressed the member flat against the roof of his mouth, his tongue flat against the underside—though Fili had loved it when Kili had given him a blowjob upside down—and groaned. Simply the idea was an astonishing turn-on already.

When he shifted, the bed creaked. He didn't care. They had made worse sounds, all accidental, and nobody had noticed. "Can I touch you tonight?" he asked. The index finger of his free hand circled that which Fili had yet to allow entrance to. Kili longed for it.

Fili wanted it, too. He wanted it so badly that it was painfully hard to say no. But he did.

"I know you think it's arbitrary, Kee, but we have to wait 'til you're eighteen. This is wrong on so many levels. The least I can do is enforce that. And," he added, "it'll give us time to be clean for each other."

"I'm clean every day, these days." But Kili understood, much as he hated to admit it. "When that day comes..." He pulled Fili deeper into his mouth, nearly gagging, before dragging him out and using only the bare minimum for stimulation, knowing it would frustrate his brother but also make it so much better when he took him in again.

Fili groaned in pleasure, relieved Kili had acquiesced. "You are far too good at this," he asserted. "Better than you should be, Kili Durin."

Kili's hair was liquid silk between Fili's fingers. He loved the feel of it in his hands, on his thighs and stomach. "It's hard, waiting," he said soothingly. "I'm sorry... and I'm not. I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I'm thinking of getting my own place," Kili murmured. It was the first time he had mentioned it, and perhaps he wasn't using the best timing to bring it up, but surely Fili had to see that with an own place, the days of sneaking around would be over. Kili could at last undo himself of the chains of forced silence. "Not for a while, but eventually." Again he bent over Fili's body to bring pleasure with renewed vigor. He could drag this out for tens of minutes if he wanted it. He wouldn't, not today. "Come for me."

"I love you," Fili groaned, hips rising up to meet his brother. "Love you so much. God... ahhhhh," he stuffed his knuckles into his mouth to muffle the sound of his cry. His head fell back against the wall with a solid _thunk._

Fili’s orgasm was interrupted by a shocked cry from the doorway. 

"…What on earth are you two doing?!" 


	7. All Hell Will Break Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All hell does break loose, when Dis finds her sons in a compromising position.
> 
> We learn a bit more about Thorin's history with Erebor Software.

The door opened with some effort. Dis pushed it open with her hip, her hands occupied. She dropped her basket full of laundry as soon as she saw the cause of the ruckus however, and her smile died on her lips.

Fili, exposed and paralyzed, let out the smallest of gasps and his eyes grew wide. Kili, mortified that he'd forgotten to throw the bolt, reached for a pillow instead and threw it over his brother's crotch.

"M-Mom?" Fili found his voice. "This isn't what it looks like..."

"Then what is it?" she all but shouted, because she couldn't see it. Both of them were barely dressed—Kili only wearing his underwear and sporting something that didn't help, and Fili a top that had ridden up—and they were both flushed with arousal. "Oh my god. Oh my god, Fili… Kili."

"Mom, it's really—" Kili tried. No excuse would come to him. He had prepared so well for any explanations, but he had never fathomed being caught in the act. He quickly scuttled off Fili, mortified. "Please don't tell Dad."

"Mom," Fili was afraid to meet Dis' eyes. "I'm—I'm sorry. We were just.... just playing around."

"Just—" She stuttered. "—just _playing around?!_ You're grown men! You bought a deadbolt! Oh, don't think your dad or I haven't noticed about that. We assumed Kili had a boyfriend, but this—" She clapped a hand before her mouth, and tears sprang in her eyes. "For how long?"

Kili cast his eyes down. He felt like he had been doused by a bucket of ice cold water.

She laughed then, shrill and stressed. "This is—oh god. Get dressed. This is stopping right now. Get dressed, I say!" She couldn't look at her children a second longer.

"Mom..." Fili's face was flushed with shame. "I love Kili. I'd never hurt him. We were just..." But his explanation tapered off. "I'd _never_ hurt him."

" _Get. Dressed._ " Dis' eyes were cold and flinty. " _Now!_ " She spun and left the room. Her feet pounding down the stairs could only mean she was going to see their father about it.

"You forgot the bolt," Fili whispered, but not accusingly. "Kili..." He pulled on his underwear and jeans and straightened his clothing, putting on a pair of comfortable sneakers. "This is going to be _bad,_ " he told his brother, as he gathered his hair into a neat pony tail at the base of his skull. "Really, really bad. I'm sorry, Kili. I tried to warn you." 

Only a moment passed before the tell-tale footfalls of their father were coming down the hall. But he wasn't walking; he was running. Fili's eyes met Kili's for a brief moment. He was terrified.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Nali stormed into the room and went directly for Fili. He grabbed his son, using handfuls of his loose t-shirt for leverage. "What did you do?" he shook him.

Fili didn't fight him or try to pull away. "Dad..." he tried to explain, "It's all right. We—"

A fist to his jaw silenced him. "Don't you dare call me _Dad._ " Another punch. "You are no longer my son." He released Fili, who collapsed weakly on his bed. "You have ten minutes to pack a bag. You're going across town to live with your Uncle Frerin until we can figure out what the fuck is wrong with you!"

Fili didn't know how to respond. He raised his fingers to his chin to wipe away the trickle of blood there. 

"You should be in jail," Nali seethed. "Or a mental hospital. Start packing." He turned to Kili with a look that said _And you, I deal with when I get home,_ before he left the room.

Kili was shaking like a leaf. Never had he seen his father with a look this disgusted. Whatever they had done in the past as children, they had always been forgiven for it. Never like this. He had never seen him like this.

What was worse was that what his parents thought of what they had done meant less to Kili than what Fili did. And Fili was crumbling. Kili's eyes were wet. When he spoke, his voice trembled. "Don't go. Fee, please, don't go. I love you. Don't go. You're not a criminal."

Most of all, he regretted the bolt. It had taken only a moment of carelessness, a moment where Fili had been so dominantly on his mind that none of the rest mattered. Except it did matter, and he should have paid more attention.

Downstairs, they heard shouting.

"It's all right," Fili whispered, touching the tender left side of his jaw, then flexing it. "Dad's right. He… What we did, it's wrong. It's so wrong. No matter how good or right it feels for us," he sniffled back tears of pain. "Others won't understand. How could they?" 

Fili got to his feet, swaying dizzily for a few seconds. When he decided he wasn't going to fall over, he began gathering his books and shoved them into his backpack, along with his laptop.

His father and mother were ashamed of him.

_You are no longer my son._

And he deserved it. He did. He didn't want to cry, but the tears came anyway. They clouded his vision as he took socks and underwear from the dresser. 

"I love you, Kee," he turned to Kili. "They can't control what's in my heart."

That was enough to bring his brother to tears. "He had no right to do that," Kili whispered. "No right." Tangled in and seeking shelter under his sheets, he did not get up to help his brother pack. He wouldn't. Kili wasn't going to be complicit to Fili leaving. "I'll apologize. Dad doesn't mean what he said. I'm sure it was just the heat of the moment, and he'll say he didn't mean it in a few days. You know how he is. He's not—" But the words _a bad person_ didn't make it past his lips.

Kili was trying to instill a false sense of security. He knew nevertheless that if he didn't do anything, Fili would really be leaving. It was because of him that they were in this situation; Fili had tried to talk sense into him on so many occasions, and Kili had thrown every house of cards down in his eagerness. The first pair of sweatpants he found lying on the chair next to his bed were snatched and pulled on, his socks put on for decency. Then, cold in his fingers and his feet, Kili walked down the stairs. He didn't think he had ever felt this afraid of his parents.

Dis and Nali stopped talking when they heard Kili's footsteps on the stairs.

"Kili," Nali said, and it was obvious he was trying to keep from shouting, "your mother described quite a scene to me. What you were doing, with your brother... What were you thinking?" 

Kili cringed and stopped in his steps. Running back upstairs would be easier. "...I'm sorry," murmured he, afraid to speak up. "We—I suppose we weren't thinking." The lies were surmounting to a weight that he was forced to carry daily to keep the peace, and Kili's eyes were still rimmed in red. "I'm so sorry. Please don't—it won't happen again."

"So it's only happened this one time?" Kili could tell by the tone of Dis' voice that it was the lie his mother needed to hear. Next to her, Nali was glowering at him, shaking his head as if he'd never seen such a pitiful creature in his life.

As he kept his eyes on the floor, Kili inclined his head. He felt like he was betraying his brother, but it was the only acceptable way for all of them to cope. "... We didn't mean to. We were challenging each other and it—I'm really sorry. It doesn't mean anything."

"It was just the one time," Dis' voice shook, and she put her hand on Nali's forearm. "They were just experimenting."

"I'm a man, Dis." Nali shot a look at Kili. "I know what it means to _experiment_ with sex. I did it myself. But I certainly did not do it with my brother or sister. It's... it's depraved. Did your brother force you to do it, Kili?"

Mutely, his youngest son denied the accusation. He was close to another round of crying. "He's not—well, I like men, and we were talking and he got curious. We didn't mean to do what we did." _Lies._ When had he become so good at them? "Fili is not to blame. Please, I'll accept any punishment. It's not his fault." 

He was still afraid to look up and face his parents. They would see through the stories he was making up, he was sure.

"You're lying, Kili," Nali whispered. "I know you must be."

"He's just admitted to it, Nali," Dis told him. "I think you owe Fili an apol—"

"I owe him _nothing!_ " Nali slammed the palm of his hand down upon the dining room table, rattling Dis' silver candlesticks. "He's the big brother. He's the adult, for fuck's sake! He should have stopped things. He should have—"

"I'm ready to go now," Fili had crept down the stairs, a duffel bag in one hand, his backpack slung over one shoulder. He did not meet anyone's eyes. The left side of his face was beginning to swell.

"Nali, we can work this out," Dis implored. "Fili can stay."

"Call your brother," Nali insisted. "Tell Frerin that Fili needs to stay with him for a few days. Maybe he can help him find an apartment."

They all knew Fili couldn't afford an apartment. He didn't have a job, and graduation took up most of his spare time—that time which Kili hadn't claimed for himself in the past weeks. But Kili, though his heart clenched and he wanted only to hug his brother and promise him that it'd be all right, could not move under the scrutiny of his parents.

The car keys rattled in Nali's hand and the door opened. 

Tears sprang anew in Kili’s eyes. By now he was sure it would continue to happen all evening. "Sorry," he muttered again; for the deadbolt, for insisting that he had wanted to explore this with Fili, for that painful blow turning into a bruise—not for falling in love with his brother.

When the door shut, his shoulders shook. "Can I please go upstairs?" he whispered to Dis.

\- - - - - 

The ride across Salem was a tense, quiet one. Fili had always felt that his father was disappointed with him—because he didn't participate in any sports, and because of the major he'd chosen in college—but never had the disapproval felt so strong as it did at that moment. He was afraid to speak, afraid to move. The punches had hurt—his face, yes, but also his heart. And his mother had done nothing to stop them.

Frerin was waiting for them on the sidewalk in front of his book store, his face grim. Immediately, he stepped up to Fili and examined his face, then his eyes cut to Nali. "Are you all right, Fee?" he asked his nephew, and Fili nodded tersely.

"I'm guessing you spoke with your sister?" Nali's manner was curt. "He and Kili need some time apart."

Frerin nodded. "Fili can stay for as long as he needs to. Rent isn’t a problem. I can put him to work in the store."

"Call us if you need anything, then." Nali directed this at Frerin and not his son. Without another word, or a glance at Fili, he got back into the car and sped off.

"Come in." Frerin put a gentle hand on Fili's shoulder and took his duffel bag from him. "Let's get you some Tylenol and put some ice on that."

Fili allowed himself to be led inside and into Frerin's modest apartment above the store.

"I have a spare bed in the basement," Frerin explained, "but it needs to be aired and cleaned, I'm afraid. You can sleep on the couch until I get it sorted, if it's still necessary by then." He didn't assume. His demeanor suggested that he treated it as a small hiccup; that this situation would last a few days at most, and that it meant he'd get to spend some time with his nephew whom he didn't see often. Frerin and Nali had never liked each other much. "Now, you look like you might need a pizza, or a beer. Can I get you either?"

"I'm not hungry," Fili whispered. "I'm just... I'm so ashamed, Frerin," his face fell and tears came. "I don't know what Mom told you. I can't imagine what she might think of me—of us. Kili and me, we really love each other. I'd never do anything to hurt him."

"I know you do, son," Frerin smiled sadly. "Your mother told me nothing but that you and Kili needed some time apart. It's not up to me to guess why. You've always been inseparable. You tell me only if you feel you need to, all right?" He patted him awkwardly on the back. "If there's something you need, tell me. And if you need time alone, just lock yourself in the music room. That's what it's for."

Fili looked up into Frerin's blue eyes, marveling at how much they resembled one another. "Thank you, Uncle Frerin. I won't be a burden, I promise." He was relieved not to have to explain himself. His hand trembled when he reached up to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I would really like those painkillers now, though, if that's all right."

Frerin went to the kitchen and came back with a glass of water and three Tylenol. He showed concern over the bruise. Somehow he didn't think it was a token of whatever had passed in his sister's house but rather punishment, and that concerned him. Dis had always been a strong woman, but she detested any means of violence. "I was going for a walk with Garm when your mum called me, actually," said he, eyeing the old German shepherd that had found his way back to his pillow in the corner, who raised his ears now at the familiar keyword. "Can I leave you here? Will you stay?"

Fili nodded. "Yeah." He accepted the pills from his uncle. "I can't go home, Frerin. Not now. Maybe not ever. Dad... he was so angry. I'm really tired." He chased the pills with the water. "I might sleep. I won’t be any trouble. I promise."

"I know you won’t, Fili. I'll be out for fifteen. Call me if you need me, okay?" Offering a hopeful smile in bleak circumstances was his uncle's way of trying to lighten up the mood. When it didn't work, Frerin didn't push it.

Fili had just unrolled the camouflage-colored sleeping bag on the couch and found the light switch, when his phone signaled a message.

_How are you? Ps. Delete when read, I don't want to get into more trouble. I've locked myself in the room._

_I'm all right. Am at Frerin's on the couch._ Fili texted back. _Did he hurt you?_

_Terrified that he will. He's still outside the door. Scared me when he hit you._

On the other side of town, Kili rolled into a ball in his own bed. He would have picked Fili's if he was sure his father wouldn't break down the door and find him there. The room was painfully empty without him.

_Told Mom we were experimenting, that we haven't done anything before. I feel bad having to lie. Dad knows I am. I'm so sorry about the bolt._

_I never should have let it happen. But I really wanted it. Wanted you._

Fili sighed, then deleted what he'd typed before sending, _Be on your best behavior, Kili. I hope I can see you on your birthday._

_I doubt Dad will let you. He's livid. Mom came upstairs to check on me, and he shouted at her._ Kili knew they had upset a balance, although he had expected it to be made of a stronger construction than it had turned out to be. _I meant what I said, I love you._

Fresh tears welled up in Fili's eyes. _I love you too. I love you so much I got careless. We got careless. And now we must pay the price. I should have been more careful. This is all my fault, Kee._

Kili swallowed a sound that would give away any communication with the world outside his bedroom, past the sentinel that was his father. _It's not. I don't even understand why it's supposed to be that wrong. Let's stick with the story that it was an accident. I'm applying for a university far away, and no one will be able to say anything about us there._

_But you had your heart set on MIT!_ Fili sent back. _If you get it, you can't turn them down, Kee. That would be crazy._

_I know... I'll move out though, I have to. Dad has suggested it several times now, when he thinks I need a reminder that he's outside my door._ Kili was afraid of coming out of that room the next day for class. Staying inside would only really piss off his father, and he was lucky enough as it was that the deadbolt was still in place. _Mom left the house._

"I've ruined everything," Fili whispered aloud, typing fervently. _Mom will be back. She won't leave you. And you can't leave her, either. You know you're her favorite._ He smiled wryly. But it was true. _When you get accepted to college, you can live on campus. It's only seven months from now. You can do anything for seven months._

_Not her favorite._ Well, maybe Kili was, but he believed in equality, and his father sure wasn't going to make up for the imbalance. Right now, he imagined Fili to beat their dad by popularity in their mother's eyes—his father was making a terrifying ass of himself. Kili didn't understand why he was so mortally offended. It wasn't like his father hadn't made his own bad choices back when he was their age. _I can't be here for another seven months, Fee. If I'm leaving the house tomorrow, if he lets me, then I'm visiting the temp agency after class._

"No," Fili whimpered. He knew that Kili was brilliant. He was bound to do something great with computers or engineering, just like their Uncle Thorin had done. But not if he threw it away on a temp job that left him no time to sleep or study.

_Sleep on it, okay?_ Fili sent back. _Think about the big picture, MIT, your future. We'll figure it out. Really tired; going to sleep now. XOXO_

With trembling hands, Fili turned down the volume on his phone and set it aside. Kili was as hot-headed as their father sometimes. Fili would help him see sense. He had to. 

Fili got up to use Frerin's tiny bathroom, then changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. Frerin and his dog had yet to return, so Fili lay down on the couch. The sharp pain in his jaw had quieted to a dull ache—a painful reminder of his sins. He was still thinking about those sins when he fell asleep.

\- - - - -

A storm was building. Dark puffy clouds built up into a grey rumbling mass over black water. People were pulling carts with wares inside, and shutters were being closed. The streets were being deserted.

The tavern in which Thorin and his crew were staying was further away than intended, when Kili turned to go back. He sheltered himself from the wind with his blue hood. When Fili and he had first set foot in this world, Kili had loved to have fun with the attire, often pulling it over his head and pretending to blend in with the locals before reappearing before Fili. He had pulled Fili's hood over his head once, too, and had wished that he'd had the courage to kiss him in the crowded street. Either way, the hood served him well now, as the first heavy drops created pinpoint mirrors on the cobblestones beneath his feet.

Halfway there, he gave up at the onset of hail and found shelter under a small roof next to a girl who smiled at him. "Won't be long," she said. "An hour at most. I pity the people who are on the road at this moment."

\- - - - -

Ori peered out of the stable at the torrential downpour outside. "Can you imagine? If we'd left when Mr. Gloin suggested? We'd be drenched to the bone!"

"And probably wandering in circles to boot," Bofur nodded in agreement, passing his pipe to Ori.

Fili stared glumly out into the rain. It rarely rained in southern California where had made his home for the past five years. He had missed it. But here he could only think about what horrors could be hiding just beyond that wall of water. His stomach gave a growl and he reached into his rucksack, cursing himself for giving his last apple to Ori. 

Legolas was still searching the rest of the house. Night was approaching, and none of them wanted to be stuck in a house where the ghost of what had happened lingered. The knocks and footsteps continued to be heard, though he was sure he had covered each floor three times over. Outside, he horses too were getting restless.

"We have to go soon," Bofur determined as he looked with grim fixation at the sky. "This rain makes it harder to see what's outside. They could be surrounding us and we wouldn't know until it would be too late. Higher ground, or outside of the city."

The gloom and frustration was getting to all of them. 

"Legolas has been gone a long time," Fili stated the obvious. "We shouldn't have let him go in there alone."

"It's this house," Ori sighed, sure that Legolas would have screamed or caused a ruckus in another way if he'd met something. "He's like you, isn't he? He has the same look, like he expects everything to just be a temporary setback. Like he can leave this place and never come back. I still don't quite understand, but that's all right. The horses are ready, at any rate. Would it be okay if we took all of them with us? I don't like the idea of leaving them here in this corrupted place."

"We should take as many as we can ride," Gloin nodded, "and one extra for Legolas' lady friend. If it's Mahal's will, we will find her."

"We'll leave the stable doors open," Fili assured the healer by his side. "Hopefully they'll wander off to someplace safer — somewhere they're needed." His eyes went back from the house. "And yes, Legolas _is_ like me. But I'm not even sure if that means anything anymore."

"Then he was like you," Ori accepted gracefully, with just the right amount of silly smile to make it all less formal. "I checked the house. They didn't take the horses, but there's no food to be found anywhere. When we leave, it might be smart to make a quick stop in the orchards in the south."

Bofur grunted. That's when they heard someone running upstairs. All at once they all sat alert, Ori with his staff drawn—reminding himself over and over to learn some offensive spells—and Bofur with his knives at the ready. Legolas, when he emerged, was panting.

"I found out what happened to the people living here," he whispered. "We must go. At once."

Fili, who had been watching with admiration as Ori and Gimli fitted the horses with saddles and bridles, trying to memorize their steps, turned when Legolas appeared, breathless.

"What is it?" Fili wondered. He had not yet seen Legolas so shaken.

Legolas looked back at the house, "I found the owners. And I've got a good idea about what happened to everyone. They're," he caught his breath, "they're turned, and asleep. They're sleepwalking, if that's what you could call it. I have a very bad feeling that every one of these houses is filled with its owners, and that after night, all hell will break loose."

"...I can cure them," Ori tried.

"Not this many. The problem is too widespread. We could cure them, and they'll only be turned again come twilight. But I'm sure we do not want to be caught when this city wakes up again. We need to leave as soon as we can. I'd rather be drenched than dead."

Fili nodded in tacit agreement. Already the cold was seeping into his bones, but the possibility of being attacked by the undead was terrifying.

"We should save as many as we can!" Ori insisted to Oin.

"We can't save them all," Oin countered. "Not at the risk of our own lives."

"But the people who live here!" Ori tried. "We can at least give them that, after taking their horses."

Horses which, nobody dared speak it out loud, would most likely be on the menu if not released very soon. The animals were still nervous. Legolas nodded curtly. "And then we leave. Bofur, Fili, help me get them saddled and ready. Gloin, will you take Ori to the first floor, master bedroom?"

Gimli piped up, "And what about me?"

"Stay with your father," Fili cautioned the boy. "But someone needs to go along with the healers. I know nothing about horses, I'll be the first to admit. I'd like to keep an eye on Ori and Gloin, so I can at least be useful."

"Then it's decided," said Legolas, who would rather not return to the dreadful sight of men who belonged to the realm of the dead, yet walked like puppets on strings. "Up the stairs, last door to the left."

Clutching his staff, Ori set out for the staircase, followed by Oin and a guard comprised of the best close combat fighters they had among them.

When he returned, five minutes later, he looked pale as if he had died, himself. "We need to go."

"Were you able to help them?" Gloin wondered, offering a leg up for Ori to get onto his mount.

Ori shook his head. "They're awake, but that's...that's all I got to do. They're exhausted. If we leave them here they'll die, but they refuse to leave. I don't understand. They were angry with me."

Anger from those being helped was something Fili encountered all too often in his own job. "They're scared," he offered, nodding to Ori. "Of course they are."

"We have to keep moving, lads!" Gloin insisted.

"But if they're scared, we need to take them! Or at least leave the other horses here!"

"They'll slow us down, Ori," Legolas frowned. "And you said yourself that if we leave any horses in the stables they'll die or be eaten. Do you want to see your brothers again? Because I know that Fili wants to see his... and I want to find Tauriel."

Ori sighed. "I suppose." He took one last look at the house. The owners hadn't been kind. They had shouted, upset that people had broken into their home, and they seemed to recall nothing of what had happened to them. Still, they were sluggish in their famine, although he and the others wouldn't have much time if they wanted some of the horses.

They mounted in the pouring rain. Above them, twilight was falling. Then they made haste.

\- - - - -

Thorin had never liked rain. It was one of the things that had cemented his decision to move to California. That, and his desire to work in the gaming industry. In his youth in the 1970s and 80s, he'd been lucky enough to experience the meteoric rise in the popularity of video games, and had wasted most of his paper route and lawn mowing money in arcades.

It was only natural when he applied to and was accepted to MIT. He put in his four years, and was off to Silicon Valley, never looking back. Erebor Software was not a large corporation, but they had put out a string of immersive MMORPGs with a very loyal fan base. 

Although both his nephews seemed to enjoy gaming, it was Kili who showed the most promise as a programmer. He also seemed to have a genuine interest in the concept of creating worlds, whereas Fili had been the one to rouse his love for playing. And yet now here he was, stuck like the rest of them. 

Thorin pushed his pewter mug away from him with a sigh, slinging an arm over the back of Kili's chair. "Tell me, Kili... what are your plans after graduation?" he asked.

His nephew was wrapped in furs of tan and white. It contrasted with his usual sunny attire, which tended to be a single shirt—even if decency's sake or the temperature demanded more layers or more isolating fabric—and a pair of artistically torn jeans. He was also less radiant than he had been when he was younger.

Kili thought about that question with his own hands wrapped around a stone mug. "Get a job," he supposed. "Earn money, and move out." Move to where Fili was, or where Fili could come live with him. "That's what I want, at least, but I couldn't leave Mom behind by herself. I don't know, I'm still figuring it out. Thanks for the hot milk."

Thorin smiled proudly in Kili's direction. He recognized the bravado. It was genetic. "I was rather hoping," he sat forward, "that you might come work with me at Erebor. You've always had such a quick way with solving problems. And if we could entice Fili to bring his creative mind to the table—imagine what we could create. Once," he whispered, "of course, when we get out of this mess."

Kili smiled wryly. "Once we get out of this mess." To work for Erebor was a dream in many ways, but leaving his mother was something he could not in good conscience do, not after what they had put her through. He knew it was not what Thorin meant, but then Kili made no mention of the deeper meaning to him. "I don't have much experience yet. Wouldn't you be concerned people thought you'd be hiring me because we're kin?"

A knock on the door stopped Thorin from any answer. Dwalin scraped his throat. "A man downstairs says he's looking for you."

_I always wanted Erebor to be a family business,_ Thorin thought to himself. He had never married or had children. Fili and Kili were the closest thing to sons he would ever have. He dreamed of all of them working together out of one office, but after this, what were the chances?

"Me?" Thorin raised his tired eyes to Dwalin. "He wants to see me?" Who here would possibly know Thorin besides his own traveling companions?

"That's what he said. Drenched to the bone, that one, but said it was urgent. Came with two healers, so I'd at least hear him out." Healers had become a valuable commodity since the outbreak. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"Blond hair?" Kili tried quickly. "Braided? Carries two swords?"

"...Aye. You know him?"

The young man was out the door before either could stop him, rushing down the steps to confirm his suspicions.


	8. This Isn't A Game For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After years of yearning and wondering, Fili and Kili finally consummate their relationship.

"It's my eldest nephew," Thorin explained to his second in command, unable to contain his relief. "The one who's been living with me. Surely you remember Fili."

"Kee!" Fili cried out when his brother appeared, and drew him into a fiercely tight embrace. "I thought... I'm not sure what I thought!" his tears mixed with the rain, so he let them fall. "You read my note! I didn't think anyone would. I was stalling for time, but I didn't expect—oh, it's so good to see you!" Kili's eyes were alive for the first time since they had arrived in the port. He pulled his brother against him for what he hoped resembled a brotherly affectionate hug, breathing him in. All the memories came rushing back. "I'm sorry I couldn't wait. Come, you must see Uncle. He is well." He tugged on Fili's hand, then turned and showed their lost kin. "He's been here all along, can you imagine?"

"All this time..." Fili whispered to his uncle. "We thought you were dead." 

Thorin, here in Middle Earth, was a far cry from the oxford-wearing programmer with a ponytail and glasses that Fili had come to know over the past few years. Here, his hair was even longer, with braids, beads and prominent streaks the color of steel. It moved with him as Thorin approached him, covered in thick leather armor and furs. 

"I'm so happy to see you, Uncle," Fili hugged Thorin tightly. "How did we all get here? Do you know?"

"A bug," Balin said. "At least, that's what we assume. It's hard to delve into any code from the inside." Rather, it was impossible. "We think recent anomalies might have something to do with it, so we're trying to figure that out. Other than that, well..."

"We are hopeful," Thorin interjected. "More so now that you're here. Please, introduce me to your friends before we catch up."

"They're mostly from _here,_ " Fili told him. "NPCs. At least I think they are. _They_ think they are. But Legolas," he gestured to the lithe blond, "he's one of us. So is his girlfriend, but he can't seem to find her."

Legolas coughed. "Partner. We do contract work for Erebor Software. I did meet you once, at a holiday party."

"Ah," smiled Thorin. "Very well. You are all free to stay with us if you like." He looked to Fili and Kili. "But a bath and dry clothes first. Will you join me in the common room for dinner when you're ready?" He continued to look at Fili with pride.

Fili was reluctant to stray too far from his brother's side. "Thorin, this is Oin, and his brother Gloin, and Gloin's son, Gimli. And these are Bofur and Ori," he introduced the men around. "I would not have gotten to you without their help."

"My thanks."

Ori flustered at the bow, and Bofur was most intent on brushing it aside. Only Gimli was plainly proud at having been of service. "Do we get a meal as well?" he prompted at once. Gloin was ready to strike him over the head for asking it.

"There isn't much," said Kili, "but you can have mine. My thanks as well. Now come," he tugged on Fili's shirt, "let's get you out of these clothes and into some more comfortable ones."

"I—well, all right." Fili allowed himself to be led by his brother deeper into the inn and up a flight of wooden stairs, where Kili produced a heavy metal key to a room. Fili gave a sneeze as Kili unlocked the door. The room revealed was sparse, but had a fire lit and a warm glow. Fill went directly to it and began stripping off his armor and wet clothing.

Years hadn't made Kili more confident, and he looked away now, unsure about how Fili considered him these days. Not once during their stay in Middle Earth had they brought it up, though it was different now; Kili had nearly lost him. "Do you want me to go?" he asked. "I can heat up the water for the bath. Apparently, the people here have never invented showers."

"Don't you dare go," Fili's voice was quiet, but filled with passion. "Kee, I don't want to let you out of my sight again, ever." He stood up, shirtless, a wet sock in one hand. "C'mere, please."

Kili closed the distance to a gap of four feet wide. "You do need a bath," he said, trying a smile. "...I missed you. Not, I mean, in the game. Did Thorin ever figure it out?"

Fili reached for Kili's hand, avoiding the query about Thorin, and pulled his brother close, holding him again. "I love you," he said with certainty. "I love you, Kili."

Kili cursed himself for the happy tears that sprang in his eyes. "I love you too. I thought maybe you found someone else. It's been so long, and I didn't know. You didn't, right?"

Fili chuckled softly. "No, of course not. I never thought to look."

His brother nodded. "All right." He tipped his head sideways, and mischief was read in his gaze. "So you wouldn't mind if I locked the door? Properly, this time?"

Fili looked confused for a moment, then the memory of that dreadful day—that last day in their shared bedroom—came back to him.

"We never have to worry about that again, Kili," he promised. "We can live as we please here." 

"But Uncle Thorin..." Thorin certainly wouldn't condone it. "We never should have told people we're brothers. I thought they weren't real and it didn't matter, but these last few days..."

"Who cares what these people think, Kili?" Fili implored. "They don't know us. We don't matter to them. Nor they to us. And as for Thorin..." Fili raised his eyebrows. "Well, he's no fool. He knows more than he lets on."

"You're sure?" Kili glanced at the door. He pulled apart to lock it regardless; it made him feel safer. A weight lifted off his shoulders as soon as the heavy cast iron bar slid into the lock. If nothing, this world knew how to properly close a door. He leaned his back against the surface and looked back at his brother. There was a desire to stall and not risk losing Fili again, but Kili was fighting a losing battle. "I think Mom figured it out. I've never brought anyone home. I was happiest when I got a message from you. She never told me she knows, but I think she does."

"She relaxed after Dad died." 

Even now, saying the word _Dad_ made Fili sick at heart. Fili and Nali had never healed from the rift between them. When a heart attack killed Nali suddenly while Fili was in San Jose with Thorin, Fili had wanted to avoid the funeral. Thorin insisted they go, even though there was no love lost between him and Nali either. "I think she'd get used to us—eventually." Fili caressed Kili's upper arm with light fingers.

Shaking fingers crawled up from Fili's shoulders— _safe_ —to his chest— _not so safe_ —in exploration. Kili took in a shuddering breath. He feared crossing the boundary that the world had set between the both of them. Many times had he been reminded how wrong everyone considered them to be, and it almost made him feel bad that it had only ever felt right to him. "Let's not talk about Mom, or Thorin, or Frerin." A leap of courage brushed their lips together, but it was the spark that passed that finally broke Kili's walls. 

Five years and a few months had passed since that moment they had first kissed each other. Kili ignored the soggy clothes and the cold. He pulled Fili against him, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. It wasn't beautiful or romantic—it was necessity. How had he made it without this for so long?

Fili was crying. He'd convinced himself that those forbidden few weeks during that long-ago springtime were just the capricious hormones of youth at play. Kili hadn't wanted him, not really. He was just convenient, and there. Time away from Kili had forced Fili to believe that his handsome, gifted brother was surely moving on—be it with a man or a woman. It made no difference. Kili could, and would, do better.

At last, Fili had to pull away. "I've thought about this every day since we were driven apart," he told him, breathless. "I analyzed, and reanalyzed what I might have done to salvage things. I'd suspected you might move on. That what we had was just crazy. It _is_ crazy, right?"

"No." Kili's breath brushed Fili's cheek. "It can't be crazy if I did just as much thinking and I still want it. There hasn't been anyone else. The only times I considered letting go was when I thought you had." His fingertips quested through tangles and got stuck on braids. Kili chuckled. "I'm not used to the braids. Or," he tugged lightly on two beads, "the mustache. Is there anything else that's changed about you?"

Fili chuckled. "This is only my avatar, Kili. I chose this appearance because I thought it was rugged—and sexy. I'm still just me inside."

Kili kissed him tentatively. "I didn't want to do this in the game. It wouldn't be real. But if we can die in this world, then so can we live, right?" He moved his arms between them and pulled off his shirt, before turning around. On his shoulder blade was a crow in flight, the ink blue as deep as the night sky. "That one is real," he smiled. "I got it two months ago."

Fili ran his finger over the tattoo. He couldn't think of a more perfect symbol for his brother. Goosebumps rose in the wake of the gentle touch.

"I love it," Fili told him. "I should get one too. Maybe you could help me pick it out." He leaned forward, kissing the warm skin, inhaling the scent of his brother. "God, I've missed you. If only you knew how many nights I lay awake and alone missing you. I haven't slept well at all since we stopped sharing a room."

Kili nodded, his fingertips pressing against the grain of wood as he let his head down. "I slept in your bed when I could. They took down the deadbolt before I knew you weren't coming back, and I didn't dare—I wanted to message you, but I was forced to hand in my phone before going to bed, or they'd come get it. Dad was horrible. I don't want to talk about him tonight, Fee. I wrote you a message and through the biggest amount of luck did you find it. You're here. We get to share a room again. Do you think... Do you think we can pick up where we left off last time, with us?"

Fili splayed out a hand over Kili's shoulder, running the other down along his flank. "Yes, Kee," he leaned over and whispered into the brunet's ear. "I want that more than anything." The hand at Kili's hip suddenly spun him around, gently but firmly, to face Fili. The blond brought his lips to Kili's and kissed him. The kiss was tentative at first, then grew more ardent as Fili brought their torsos in contact.

Though they hadn't touched each other like this for years, it did not feel like more than few days. Kili remembered the way Fili responded to his touches. He responded readily, looping his arms around Fili's waist with fingertips denting the supple skin, his ears warming up despite the chill in the air and his eyes fluttering shut. In the common room one floor down, a man was playing a flute and another the drums, with laughter surrounding them. They were a perfect cover. Kili started edging Fili back away from the door.

"I love you," whispered he in the spaces where they breathed, several times, for all the times he hadn't been able to affirm it. "I missed you so much. Never has there been someone else. The thought didn't even cross my mind. Do you know what that makes me?"

"Mine," Fili caressed Kili's face lovingly. "It makes you mine. And I am yours, Kee." 

Fili's smiling eyes reflected the firelight back at his brother. "I need to get out of these damp pants and socks," he smiled crookedly, reaching for the crude belt with its thick buckle at his waist.

"It also makes me very frustrated," Kili admitted, one eyebrow raised while he sank to the floor to bring himself face to face with the buckle, hands tugging on the soaked leather. Kili had spent his college days watching his friends chase lust and love at parties and in secluded corners of the library, where eye contact could be just as meaningful as finding a bed and company for the night. Many times had they asked him why he wouldn't join them. Some of them had thought he was abstaining—ridiculous for someone like Kili—until he had been forced to lift a tip of the veil about a childhood sweetheart. If he had thought that that would get him off the hook, he had been gravely mistaken.

It wasn't always easy. There were times when Kili had wanted to give in, if only for the concept of being with someone. He didn't know whether Fili had moved on, but year after year that chance became more likely. It made him, at this very night, still very much untested in the rituals of the bed.

On the other hand, he wasn't completely ignorant, and he hadn't lost his touch. Fili swiftly found himself out of his clothes.

Shivering a little, Fili pulled his brother towards one of the room's two beds. The animal fur coverlets look especially enticing. "C'mere," he beckoned. "I'm freezing." He slipped under the fur and slid over, making room for Kili next to him. When his brother complied, Fili nestled his head on Kili's chest, listening to the assuring sound of Fili's heart beating.

Only 24 hours ago he had been afraid he'd never see Kili again, and here they were, snuggling, together at last.

Kili was worried. He didn't want to voice it, as they hadn't had the opportunity to be alone in private for a long time, but it came out nonetheless. "Thorin has been caught in this game ever since he disappeared," he whispered. "Do you think it'll be the same for us? I can't tell the difference, Fee. It's not the real world, but it _feels_ real. When I kiss you, it feels like I'm kissing you for real. The game can't know how that is, so why doesn't it make a difference? If I sleep with you, is that how it'll be for real?"

"I don't know," Fili answered honestly. "This still feels too real to me. I don't remember when this stopped being a game and turned into reality. There wasn't a sensation or a sound. It just happened. Did Thorin plan this? Did he say anything to you?"

"He said he had wanted it to be immersive." Kili shook his head, "But he can't believe all of this is the work of code. It's too much. He thinks maybe it's artificial intelligence. Or maybe—no, that's not his words. Balin believes that maybe this world really does exist in its own right. He can't explain it though." Rolled onto his side and studying Fili, Kili smiled. "You're here, and you're practically naked in bed with me."

"I'd do _that_ in any world," Fili smiled back. 

Kili reached in for a kiss. "I know. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait until you divest me of my clothes as well."

"You don't have to wait," Fili told him. "As long as you're sure, Kili."

Kili had been sure since the first time he had explored his brother's confession carnally. He rolled onto his back, his eyes still on Fili. "Everyone's minding their own business and we have a good lock. I'm way past my eighteenth birthday. Trust me, I'm sure."

_And you still want me, after all this time,_ Fili marveled, but not aloud. Kili had matured and filled out into a beautiful man, both broader and taller than Fili. His voice was like warm caramel and his smile infectious.

"I want to taste you," Fili blurted. "May I?" He reached for the waistband of Kili's leather pants and slowly began working them down until a dark thatch of hair was visible.

Apparently, the art director in charge of the game's wardrobe didn't consider underwear very medieval, and Kili was exposed as soon as the pants were down far enough. "Yes," he breathed, "okay." He laid his head back on the pillow but kept his eyes on Fili, following where he couldn't see with the sensitive tips of his fingers.

He had to force himself not to look at the door. Years of habit had broken that trust in his sanctuary, but there was no one there. Nobody could come in and tear them apart, only for them to start anew all over again. "I love you so much," Kili whispered. _Don't leave me._

Years of stigmatization were warring with Fili's desires—his father had never spoken to him again after that fateful day in their shared bedroom. He'd left Fili out of his will as well. Not that there was much of an inheritance to speak of, but it hurt nonetheless. He had found new father figures in both his uncles, who were as opposite of one another as Kili and Fili tended to be at times, but it never soothed the sting left by his father's rejection.

_Well, Dad,_ he smiled wryly, _if there is a heaven, and you're up there watching... watch this._ He leaned over and took the tip of Kili's dick into his mouth, quickly drawing the rest in behind it.

No longer limited by secrecy in a teenager's bedroom, Kili gasped audibly. He curled his toes, one leg pulling up to bend at the knee. He had almost forgotten how good it had felt. Saliva-coated fists had never been able to come close to what was coursing through him right now. The better to see, Kili raised himself on his elbows. He groaned again and bit his lip when he beheld Fili going down on him, utterly devoted to the task. He was so very lucky nobody had snatched him away in the time they had spent apart.

Fili let out an echoing moan of approval and bent to the task, laving at Kili's turgid organ until Kili was writhing. Fili tried to still his brother with a hand on one hip, but it did little to calm the other man. 

"Careful," he chuckled, after coming up for a bit of air, "I don't want to bite you. Not yet, at least." And he enveloped Kili again.

A raw laugh tore from his brother's throat. "Is that a promise?" He fell back onto the bed and parted his lips while his hands sought out Fili's hair. Kili's hips were trying to get Fili to go deeper, though they were held down. Soon, his lower lip was trembling and his fingers clenched. "Stop. Stop, please. I'm so close. If you don't, I'll—I need you in me, Fee. Or me in you, I don't care. I've waited long enough."

Fili pulled his mouth off his brother's cock slowly, thoughtfully. He gave Kili a quizzical look. "Here? I mean... is actual sex something you want to do in this—" _reality? universe? game?_ "—place?"

"We might not get the chance outside." Kili swallowed, his eyes blown but concerned at the same time. "And this feels real. Going all the way should be the same, right?"

Fili bit his lip, pondering the ramifications. "Aren't you scared, Kili? Because, I've been terrified since I lost you. Legolas told me that he came here with two friends and that one of them died. I don't think this is the sort of place where we can afford to let down our guard."

Kili looked up at the ceiling and breathed out. He had thought it through since the moment Thorin had rescued him. That they were here in this room together was a chance of such small probability—more likely would have been having lost each other forever, if this world was inescapable. He wasn't going to regret indecision again. "Isn't that exactly why we can't wait?"

Something broke, then, inside of Fili. Whatever dam had been holding back his passions—whatever shame had kept his heart locked—suddenly crumbled. He nodded and crawled swiftly up his brother's body, bringing their lips together. "You're right," he gasped, when he finally pulled away allowing them both to breathe. "I don't want to wait any longer, Kili."

Kili kissed him again, and once again. He smiled when their lips met, pushing down the last of his clothes to fully divest of them, and rolled them around as soon as he noticed their juxtaposition in temperature. "God, you're always so cold," he chuckled. "We have to fix that." He was nervous, of course he was. Kili was well versed in the ways to touch his brother, but he had never been accepted further. He started with what he did know, and rolled his hips experimentally against Fili's.

Fili let out a hiss and lamented, "What could we possibly use for lube, Kee?"

Not having thought of practical matters, Kili stilled his hips. "...Bath oils?" he asked. "There's a bar below, I'm sure they've got something, but I don't want to..." He trailed off. "I don't know. Spit?"

Fili wrinkled his forehead. "It does work," he sighed, "but not well. It's definitely not something we'd want to use for your first time." Let me see what's in Uncle's bag." 

Reluctantly, Fili crawled from beneath the covers and began rummaging through his Uncle Thorin's knapsack. At first, he thought he might walk away empty-handed, but then his fingers found a small pocket sewn into the inside of the bag. Inside was a small, flat terra cotta pot. He opened the lit cautiously to reveal what appeared to be a thick white paste. A tentative sniff had him smiling. "I think this is coconut oil. Thorin keeps jars of this all over the house in San Jose!" He brought he crock to the bed. "And it smells fantastic too."

Thorin must have passed the coconut oil into the game as a personal thing—Kili had yet to see the first palm tree in this world. Then again, they were in a port town, and trade was what this place thrived of. He wasn't about to ask questions when it was a gift to be having. He rolled onto his stomach, pushed the sheets under him for stains—the Internet had informed him of that much—and smiled as he stretched like a cat. "Coconut oil it is. How will it feel? You'll use your fingers first, right?" A grown man, he had yet the decency to blush.

"Of course," Fili ran the tips of his fingers through the oil. It was room temperature, but would still feel cold touching certain areas of his brother's body. "There has to be some stretching before I... _you know._ " Their eyes met and he blushed.

Kili nodded quickly. He continued to watch Fili as he approached the bed, until he was looking over his shoulder with his cheek on the pillow, his arms by his flanks. At nearly eighteen, the wait had tortured Kili. Then came the years in which he waited and prepared for the future without living much in the present. Tonight, that was set to change. Kili raised his hips slightly, chewing on the inside of his lip when his cock rubbed against the sheets under him. He wanted to touch Fili in the same ways.

"I'd rather have you on your back," Fili told him, "so I can see you better. We'll just play it by ear, okay?" he sat the terra cotta container on the bedside table, and scooped a bit into his palm, testing the viscosity. "It smells good enough to eat," he told Kili. "Just like you."

"Oh my god," Kili laughed, his hands shielding his eyes, "you did not just say that." He turned while still rosy-cheeked of laughter and nakedness, until he lay flat on top of the sheets. "Do I pull my knees up?" he wondered. Kili's buoyancy quieted down to that of a devoted man soon after. When he was ready for all of Fili, he added in a soft voice, "You look really good right now."

"I guess it's _desire_." Fili's face grew pinker. "You can bend your knees if you want, or just spread your legs a bit. Maybe raise your hips and let me put a pillow beneath them, if that's comfortable for you. I'm going to lie down beside you and I need to be able to reach."

Fili picked up one of the pillows, nodding at Kili to raise his hips.

Ready to do anything that Fili wanted him to, Kili followed the request with curious yet hooded eyes. He was sensitive to the shifts in the air. For the first time since coming here, goosebumps scattered over his arms and his sides, only to be remedied by a kiss. He was ready, he thought, as he pulled Fili against him. 

The first touch made him jump. Chuckling nervously, he muttered a sorry and wet his lips. "Again."

"This will hurt if you can't relax the muscles," Fili told him. "Take deep breaths, think happy thoughts," he smiled softly, lowering his mouth once again onto Kili's weeping cock, licking away any moisture he found. When his questing fingers found Kili's opening, his brother was quite pliant beneath him—which was a good thing, because Fili wasn't one hundred percent sure he was about to do what he was about to do with any finesse whatsoever.

"Oh," Kili exhaled, surprised, "that—that feels nice." Not too big for him after all. There was hardly any stretch, and Fili distracted him from any hitches with his mouth. They would be just fine exploring each other this way, at least until they moved up from fingers and tongue. He couldn't wait, fearful that Fili teased him too long and Kili would end up spilling before Fili had entered him. He rolled back against the finger, seeking out how shallow and deep felt, all the while swallowing back any sounds. In his room, after Fili had been forced to live away from him, he had vowed never to use anything to try out how penetration felt, simply because he didn't want to spoil this moment. He didn't regret it now. It felt as amazing as it was intimate.

Fili's face bore a look of concentration as his finger quested as if searching for something. He felt it then, a small spongy bump inside of his brother. Kili felt it too.

"Ah!" he yelped. Another surprise! Who could have told him that touching his prostate could feel that good? Kili pulled his legs up in a reflex, ignoring all his expectations that were derived mostly off the Internet and surrendering himself to the here and now. He hooked one around Fili's waist, drawing him closer. "Do that again!"

Fili let out a pleasured gasp at Kili's reaction. His brother's already dark eyes were almost entirely consumed by his pupils. "Okay," Fili agreed readily. "But try not to shout too loudly. The others will come running, and that would be... awful," Fili found the small nub again, rubbing it ever so gently, then a bit harder, gauging his brother's threshold for stimulation.

As it turned out, that threshold wasn't high. Kili, unused to the feeling, prodded for more because it was that good, but he wouldn't last long enough if Fili kept testing his boundaries. He tugged him up to kiss him full on the mouth, unaware and uninterested in the world outside the door. Part of the spell was as an effect broken, but Kili smiled and wrapped both legs around Fili's hips, ready for more.

While kissing Kili, Fili procured a bit more oil from the little pot and slowly added a second finger, then a third. "Is it too much?" he whispered to his only love. "Does it hurt?"

The stretch was present at once, an unexpected bite that was yet to become pleasant. It would be though, Kili knew it would. He just needed more time. He whimpered, signifying by that sound that Fili needed to take it slow, while whispering against Fili's cheek, "Kiss me please."

If only Kili knew how many nights Fili had lain awake in his bedroom at Thorin's house, breezes from the bay billowing the gauzy blue curtains, his hand on his own cock and yearning for Kili. As years passed, Fili came to know in his heart that Kili would move on. They'd both been so young—Kili, the youngest. In time, Fili began to see himself as that perverted older brother who had taken advantage of Kili's unwavering love for him. 

The hand that caressed Kili's face trembled. "Do you mean it, Kili? Do you really want me? I need to know that you're not just doing this to make me happy—because you think we have unfinished business or something like that. Because my heart and body are yours. This isn't a game for me."

"I love you with all my heart," Kili panted between butterfly kisses. "Please don't talk like you don't deserve me. You've tried to talk sense into me so many times. If it still hasn't caught by now, you have to understand, Fee, that it never will. I love you in my heart and my body. That's the only truth I know." He smiled up at his lover, biting his lip to handle the physical burn that was becoming less with every second. "It's not a game. Promise to be slow and I'm ready."

"I suppose," Fili nibbled at the underside of Kili's jaw, "that I've created a monster." He kissed his way back down Kili's torso until his lips again found dark curls that smelled of leather, rain, perspiration. His own dick was dribbling madly against his stomach and thighs. "I'm going to stretch you just a bit more, Kee," he promised, licking a line up Kili's cock. "Just a little bit more..."

Kili playfully but absently swatted him for his comment, before the stretch took up his attention again. Abating whenever Fili gave him time, Kili continuously thought he would be fine until a twist or a nudge would tell him he was not. He tried spreading his knees further apart, if that would help. It was ironically when Fili found his weak spot again and the contraction of his muscles caused a stronger stretch that Kili knew he needed it now or he wouldn't get it at all tonight. "Inside," he tried to persuade his brother with a plea that wasn't so much a plea as it was a moan.

The musky smell of Kili's arousal zinged around the room, spurring Fili on. This was new to him—fucking someone. He'd promised he'd do it to Kili on his 18th birthday and it never happened. Now, here was his handsome brother, gorgeous and twenty-three years old. And he wanted him, still. _More._


	9. Off to See the Wizard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All romantic encounters must come to an end, Kili and Fili sadly learn. 
> 
> Thorin suggests they all travel west and try to find a powerful wizard named Gandalf.

"It's my first time doing this," Fili reminded him. "I feel like a teenager all over again." He got to his knees, and told Kili, "They say it's best for you if you stay on your back. So, let's see how it goes..."

"You haven't done this before?" But Kili, though he wanted to now ask to make sure Fili was sure of what he was doing, lost his composure at the pressure of something more solid than three fingers at his entrance. He sagged into the mattress, licking his lips while he wasn't aware of it, and his eyes closed. A sigh passed from him when Fili moved forward. Then came the solid belief that this was too much and that he wasn't going to cope, which involuntarily contracted his muscles and made it worse. Kili needed to relax. Fili wasn't in the position to kiss and distract him until he would be fully in, so Kili quieted his thundering heart and reached for his own erection, stroking it slowly, aware that it was a very bold thing to do.

Fili caressed his brother's flank for reassurance. He wasn't hugely well endowed, but it was still Kili's first time. He didn't want to hurt him or scare him. Occasionally he reached for more coconut oil to ease the way. It took only a few moments for him to be fully seated. It was tight—so much tighter than he had anticipated. "I... wow," he whispered, bringing their foreheads together. "How does it feel?"

Pulling his arm away from between them, Kili leaned up to get a kiss. "Good. Full." He inhaled. "Special. Like we're merging into each other. Don't move just yet."

"Okay." Fili nuzzled along the side of Kili's face, his arms already beginning to tremble with the effort of holding himself up. His lips soothed every bit of skin he could reached and he whispered assurances. "I'm here, Kee. Won't hurt you."

Kili knew that. Fili had always taken care of him. When his classmates had called him 'little boy' in junior high, they had had to deal with a very upset blond. The time Kili had fallen and sprained his ankle, keeping him tied to a sitting position for days, Fili had been there doing his best to make his younger brother feel better. Fili had been his safe haven since he was young, without expecting anything in return.

Kili knew and he loved him for it. He nodded absently, breathing in and out until the stretch became less and finally abated. "All right," whispered he. "Try it."

Fili locked eyes with Kili and rolled his hips experimentally. The drag and catch of his cock shot instant pleasure through him, and he shuddered. "Oh... god," he whispered. "I never realized how this would feel."

From under him, his brother watched him like a man in rapture. While it wasn't uncomfortable, the movement wasn't yet as good as the single finger had felt—Kili assumed it would be better than that eventually, or people wouldn't bother going all the way—though to watch Fili in pleasure, moving with the focus of a single-minded man, was worth it. Kili nipped at his lips, sought out his attention, did anything to show how much he loved him. He pulled his legs up to encircle Fili's hips again, and groaned when that particular choice made him suddenly feel really good.

Kili's moans of pleasure let Fili know he'd found the right angle at which to thrust. He knew all too well how good just the right amount of pleasure to that elusive bump inside of a man could feel. He chuckled as Kili's face screwed up in ecstasy and he mewled. 

"Feels good, huh, Kee?" Fili asked softly. "Like you couldn't escape me, even if you tried."

"I could never escape you," Kili shook his head, panting in the space between them. They were linked to each other through more than love alone—and Fili was right, there was no way he could stop this now. Kili lost himself in the rhythm between them. His breathing changed into quiet whimpers and an occasional moan, covered by the white noise from outside. It was, in a word, surreal. His feet searched for purchase on the sheets, his mouth on Fili's neck.

Fili knew his orgasm couldn't be staved off for much longer. Kili was a vise around his cock; long forbidden fruit, now tasted. They were wet with sweat, bodies writhing in what should have been an awkward action, but ended up as comfortable and effortless as everything else between them.

"I love you," Fili whispered. "Want you to come, Kili."

Kili laughed hoarsely, his world spinning and the nave assaulted with thrust after thrust that, when not finding that most sensitive of spots, still had him tossing on the bed. The kisses on Fili's neck were turning into marks. In time, Kili would feel guilty for having placed them so visibly, but everything he did in his haze was led by instinct. He only knew he both wanted to come and not have it end at the same time.

"I love you," crossed the inch between them. "I'm yours."

Fili lowered his forehead to Kili's, breath ghosting there. "Kee," he whispered. "I... I can't—I'm sorry!" He came then, entire body writhing in ecstasy.

Though his brother frowned in confusion at that comment, he was soon distracted from his thoughts when he saw what was happening. Clutching him tight against him, Kili raised his hips to push back when Fili's hips slackened, overwhelmed with affection. 

The force of his own orgasm, when it came, was unexpected. Kili gasped before he collapsed. His muscles clenched around the man inside him like they were trying to push him out, but Kili simply marveled at it when his sense returned and he laid back on the sheets. He was sticky and spent, with something tacky between them. "...God, that was amazing. Tell me we're going to do that again. That's—fuck, Fee, that was _good_."

Fili murmured something unintelligible, his full weight resting on Kili for a few moments as he collected himself. In a moment he was able to push himself off to the side and lay next to Kili on the narrow bed, one arm and one leg still wrapped around him and his head on his brother's shoulder. "You wear me out," he proclaimed, kissing the sweat slick skin of Kili's chest. "Yes, we'll do it again, when I can move."

Kili merely grinned like he knew a secret he wasn't going to share. Anyone with eyes knew it though—he was in love. "Is it true I won't be able to sit tomorrow? I've heard the stories."

Fili brushed tendrils of hair away that were stuck to Kili's sweaty cheek and considered this. "I'm sure you'll be fine. It was your first time, but I'm not that big... and I was gentle." He leaned up to kiss Kili's lips. "I'm glad you liked it, Kili. I wonder how tonight differs from the experience we might have had when you turned eighteen."

Kili leaned his head on his hand, curling up on the bed opposite him. "Better, I'm sure. Mom and Dad aren't downstairs, and this lock works so much better than the one we used to have." He yawned, the day catching up with him at last. "Nobody will come between us again, right? We'll stick together, game or no game."

A sick feeling unfurled in Fili's stomach. He didn't want to be stuck here forever in this strange universe where death was an everyday occurrence. He didn't want to lose Kili again—to zombies, goblins or whatever danger lurked just around the corner. He wanted pizza and beer and computers and hoodies. He wanted safety and he wanted to explore his relationship with his brother.

"Game or no game," Fili agreed, holding him tightly. It was his last coherent thought before he fell asleep.

\- - - - -

Breakfast was stilted for unknown reasons. Ori looked around as he chewed on half a small loaf of bread, which was a richer meal than he had had in years, and at last piped up, "So, where are we headed?"

Fili too felt the discomfort around the table. Legolas was mourning his friend and worried about the one still missing. Thorin and Balin were berating themselves for allowing this to happen. Others, like Ori, were confused. Fili regretted telling Ori that he was from 'outside this universe.' No wonder Gloin and Oin seemed to mistrusting this morning. To say the gathering was awkward was a vast understatement.

"There is a grand wizard—a wizard venerated by other wizards—said to live several days travel from here," Thorin told them. "The lore," he halted at a kick under the table from Balin, " _rumor_ has it," he continued, "that he knows a spell to cure the undead in vast numbers. We have a few among us with wizarding talents—maybe some who as of yet don't even know. This Gandalf could help us set things right in Middle Earth and bring back the balance of power."

_And then what?_ Kili thought. He didn't voice his concerns, though he and Fili shared a look. They both knew that restoring the balance might not automatically reset the issue. "We leave after breakfast?" he asked. "The horses have had a night to recover and the cart has been repaired." He turned to Ori. "Have you seen anything out of the ordinary? I haven't been able to level since I recovered. It hasn't come back. Does anyone else share the experience?"

"Leveling comes with killing and achievements," Thorin told him, "and a small bit of exploration. There may have been some exploration experience acquired over the past 24 hours, but as none of you really killed anything to speak of, you wouldn't have leveled."

"We found this." Legolas handed Kili his bow. "I restrung it for you. The arrows were lost, but I'm sure we can obtain new ones."

For a weapon that had technically only been his in a make-belief world since a few days, Kili was exceptionally happy to receive it. "Thank you! I didn't know you found it. I'll craft some arrows on the road, I think I've got that skill down—uh, fletching, I mean. I think I know how to do it." Balin and Thorin were both looking at him for his slip-up. "Will you come with us? Fili said you were looking for someone."

"Tauriel vanished." Legolas leveled Thorin with a glare, "and Celeborn died. _Died,_ " he stressed to his former boss. "How is that even possible?"

"Uh," Gloin started, clutching in his hand a pint for breakfast, "people die all the time. Unless you're not people."

"Of course we're people." Thorin leaned forward on his elbows and sized up the muscular redhead. "What else would we be?"

"Celeborn died, and didn't come back," Legolas clarified. "Not at a shrine. Not as a zombie. He just... died."

"Well, _you_ don't die," Gloin huffed. "I've seen the way Ori looks at you when he thinks nobody is looking. He is trying to measure you up. Sorry lad," he quickly offered to the young mage. "They're not from here, that's for sure."

"There are lands beyond your maps, it's true," Thorin told Gloin. "Some us come from those lands."

"Where we come from, when people die, they stay that way," Fili told them. "You can imagine our surprise."

"Not really," Gimli defended his father's point of view. "You said you were surprised a friend of yours isn't getting back up, I just heard you say it." He grunted. "This whole thing is confusing. Why aren't there zombies in this town, anyway? But hey, if I get to meet a wizard, I'm all for it."

Kili smiled at his stubbornness. "There might be treasure."

"What's that he said?" Oin looked up from his honeyed bread and held an archaic ear trumpet up to his left ear—the closest thing to a hearing aid in Middle Earth. 

"He said _treasure,_ Uncle Oin!" Gimli leaned over and hollered into the trumpet. 

"Ah, well," the elderly healer nodded primly. "In that case, we should find this wizard then."

And so it happened that naught but half an hour later, they mounted their horses, packed for the journey, and left for the West. Balin was at the back of the caravan, Dwalin up at the front with Thorin, and the others were in between.

Legolas kept pressing the issue that it was necessary for him to scout. He had not been to these lands, but he was certain that he wouldn't find Tauriel or any trace of her if they stuck to the road. Not, he assured Thorin, whom he had denoted the leader of the company, that everyone needed to go off the road. Just himself. But Dwalin thought something was fishy about him, and so he continued to advise Thorin against allowing him. Eventually Legolas settled next to Ori, the only one who didn't have brothers or comrades aside from himself.

Thorin eased the reins until he came up next to Fili. "We thought you wouldn't come," he started awkwardly.

"I wish I hadn't," Fili frowned, eyes still on the road. "When the copies of the game arrived at the apartment, I just let them sit there, on the table, in the carton. Then, one night, I opened it and realized that maybe Kili and I could spend time together—even virtual time—in the beta. So I mailed one to him and we decided to play. Now I've dragged us both here. I feel horrible about that."

"Ah, yes. I figured you'd invite Kili." Thorin shifted on his horse, his eyes on the distance ahead. They were passing meadows of long waving grass, with an occasional tree. It resembled a lush savannah—Thorin's contact at the outsourced production team had mentioned this area before. "I'm terribly sorry for getting you caught up in this. It wasn't supposed to be like this. You always looked a little lost after the holidays when you got to see him, and I really thought to cheer you up. But actually I was talking about coming here from the city, finding Kili's note. We would have put up a bigger beacon if we'd had the time." He readjusted his grip on the reins. "The wizard tower lies at the edge of a large forest. It's—it's high level. And the tower is on the wrong side of that forest. It's nothing I can't handle, but you and Kili... Have you gained strength since you came here?"

"Some," Fili peeked out from beneath his hood to meet Thorin's eyes. "We're level fifteen. Probably not a very good level to be traveling through a high level forest. A few of the others—Gimli, Ori—-they aren't much higher in level."

"I see." Thorin had hoped for a different response. "Do you believe we should go around it? It'll take longer by half a month, but I'd rather take that road than send you to your death."

Fili had no response to this. He shouldn't be here. Thorin, Kili, Legolas... they should all be back on earth. And yet here they were on horses—Fili had never ridden a horse in his life, but took to it immediately, inexplicably—headed to see a wizard to cure the zombie plague.

"Do you think," Fili asked his uncle, knowing exactly how Dorothy-esque it sounded, "that this wizard might be able to send us home?"

"A possibility. One I wouldn't hold onto for too long, but a chance nonetheless. The thing is, this Gandalf... we have no idea where he comes from. His stories are woven into the fabric of this world and anyone who is someone knows who he is. None of the tech guys recall drafting him, and the design team stated that they had no hand in him. It could be an Easter egg, but if so, someone is keeping his mouth very tightly shut."

"All this..." Fili gestured around him with his hand. "It's real. I mean, I not only see and hear it. I _smell_ it. Am I dead or in a coma? I mean, Thorin, this just isn't possible. People don't just get sucked into games. Not outside of the movies, they don't."

Thorin took a deep breath and looked around furtively to see if anyone was listening in. Kili was, plain as day, but the others were occupied in their own conversions.

"Balin has a theory," he began. "He thinks the same as you, but instead of rejecting the possibility as I want just the same, he has come up with several explanations. None of the technicalities make sense to me. 'Parallel world' is on the top of his list. We would have died after so many hours without sustenance in what you call the real world; that much we do know. So either we are being kept alive, time is progressing much slower than we think it is, or we're no longer physically there."

"And you swear you had nothing to do with this?" Fili didn't want to have to ask the question, but he needed to know.

"I wouldn't have gone in if I did. Wouldn't have gotten _you two_ in. I'm truly sorry, much as I like to see you two together and not apart."

"Are you scared, Thorin?" Fili wondered. "Scared we might be stuck here?"

Thorin smiled then, strands of his long hair slipping loose from its coil. "Scared for your lives, yes, but infinitely more happy with the life I live here than being cooped up inside an office all day. It's not so bad a world. I just wished I hadn't involved you, glad that I am to have you with me."

As he said it, Dwalin called from the front, "Incoming lizards! Kili, Legolas, we need your bows!"

Thorin didn't miss the fear that came to Fili's eyes. To think that forty-eight hours ago, Fili had been full of such bravado. Now, he was terrified.

_Be careful, Kili! _he wanted to call after his brother. But he didn't want to appear afraid. And he didn't want to poke any holes in Kili's bravery, either. Fili's own swords he had liberated from their starter town hung firmly in the sheath on his back. When he saw the brown and green lizards scuttling across the grasslands towards his brother and Legolas, he wasn't afraid to use them.__

__Gloin was out of his saddle and at the lizards before an arrow could have been notched. He flung his axe about wildly, which caused the lizards to rear and raise themselves up to their full height. What they had thought were lizards now resembled humanoids with leathery skin and a raptor's snout. Dwalin still called them lizards. "Out of the way!" he rumbled._ _

__When Gloin didn't budge, Dwalin jumped off his horse and joined the fight, which rendered the two archers powerless, lest they hurt one of their own. Legolas cursed in response, but Kili reached for his sword and joined the fray._ _

__"Just keep healing, lad," Oin cautioned Ori. "If you feel you have enough strength, then use that burst of light I taught you yesterday. It'll stun them enough to possibly keep one of our own from getting hurt."_ _

__Balin, moving with incredible agility for a man his age, pulled a bo staff from the sheath at his back and knocked the legs out from under one of the lizard men. Fili quickly dispatched it with a blow from each of his falchions._ _

__While they had simply melted into the ground before, there was something new about these monsters. Dead and bloodied, they remained as material as they had before. Ori mumbled something about it, before averting his eyes with the look of a man guilty. "Should we even be killing these creatures?" he asked. "It seems a bit... overmuch. We could just overcome them and tie them to a tree?"_ _

__"And then what would happen?" Gimli huffed. "They'd die of famine and their wounds. What's the matter, you haven't seen a dead animal before?"_ _

__It was Gloin who spoke up. "Actually, the dead disappearing has only been something happening since a few years. If this young man hasn't picked up fighting since a few weeks, and I know he has, then that's not so strange."_ _

__"They attacked _us,_ " Fili reminded Ori. "We had to defend ourselves, right?"_ _

__Once a cadre of the creatures were killed, the rest turned tail and ran away, communicating to one another in a strange, hissing language._ _

__"What did you mean?" Legolas approached Gloin, "about the dead disappearing being only a new thing?"_ _

__Gloin shrugged it off. "Oh yes. Gave the farmers quite a fright for some time, because we didn't get any meat off of them either. There were substitutes, of course, but this lot here," he pointed at the dead in the grass in front of them, "I'd say it has been too long since I've had actual meat. 'Course, it seems it's changing back to how it's supposed to be, so there's no hurry, if your stomachs aren't up for it."_ _

__"You want to eat _them_ ?" Ori blanched, but his stomach gave a telltale growl. The honeyed bread from the breakfast table had been far too many hours ago._ _

__"They make a fantastic spit-roast!" a voice called from within a copse of trees. Two men came slowly out from where they'd been hiding. One was very rotund, the other had wild eyes and a white streak through his bedraggled hair._ _

__Bofur let out a yelp. "Bombur!" He bounded towards the large, red haired man and embraced him. "Bifur!" He hugged the other man as well. "Fancy meeting the two of you here. Gents, meet my brother and cousin, Bombur and Bifur."_ _

__The pair bowed low before the company._ _

__"There were too many of them," the fat man explained. "We hid in the hopes of catching one alone before the others caught us. Your party came along at a perfect time."_ _

__Thorin looked from Balin to Dwalin warily, but the others who had come to trust Bofur and his skills in being useful at the most unexpected times took his word for it. And truth be told, Thorin had missed meat on the menu. "Are you here on horseback?" he asked, though he saw no horses anywhere._ _

__"We are on our way to the forest," Bofur continued. "Tell me we can try that spit-roast tonight. He's right though, where are your horses?"_ _

__"We left them just over the rise." Bombur pointed off towards the setting sun. "Didn't want those lizards getting their hands on them."_ _

__Bifur had already moved towards one of the nearby carcasses, handily beheaded, and dragged towards Fili's horse. "Him," he gestured at the carcass, "you carry. Your horse. Ride with another."_ _

__"All right," Fili agreed readily. "Can I help you with that?" With Bifur's help, they hefted the dead lizard across the saddle of Fili's horse. And apparently, now they had dinner._ _

__The horse whinnied in protest, and Fili had to keep calming it down for a while until it finally accepted the dead animal on his back. Kili, who sat at the same height on the horse nearest to him, wiggled his nose and quickly found that he didn't like the smell of blood on a dead animal. "You can ride with me?" he asked in a manner that explained how he might go green around the gills if someone wasn't going to back him up._ _

__The others found their own horses again. Gloin was the first one to go up to the strangers and shake hands, after which the others followed suit._ _

__"So," Bombur finally asked the million dollar question, "why are you travelling with an elf?"_ _

__"I'm only an elf in-game!" Fili and Kili, who were closest to Legolas, heard him mutter in protest._ _

__"Legolas showed up when things were dire and bailed us out, brother," Bofur told him, patting the archer on the back. "So now we're helping him find his lost companion."_ _

__"Well, as long as he's not friends with the elven king," Bombur muttered. "Dreadful creature! We were lost in the woods and we were hungry, and we kept running into him while he was feasting, but he continued to refuse us food. Dreadful. Roast venison... cranberry sauce..."_ _

__"The elven king?" Kili sat forward with interest. "Maybe he knows where Legolas' companion is? Does he know magic?" He quickly turned to Legolas. "She _is_ an elf, isn't she?"_ _

__Legolas, who didn't feel like he was being taken seriously, wished they were on their way again. "Yes, yes."_ _

__"She's hot," young Gimli supplied, at which Legolas spluttered, ready to whack him over the head if only Gimli was closer. The boy grinned. "Hey, all the more reason to find her, right?"_ _

__"Can we get going?" Legolas pleaded with Thorin. "We're off to see the wizard, and I'm sure that if we run into the elven king, we can ask him then."_ _

__"Are you suggesting we purposely allow ourselves to be captured by the Elvenking?" Balin eyed Gimli and Kili._ _

__"We aren't related," Legolas assured them. He whispered to Fili, "I just liked the way the elves looked in the character creator."_ _

__Fili nodded sympathetically. He had liked them too, but only dwarven characters had been available to him and Kili._ _

__"We have to go through the woods anyway, right?" Gimli encouraged them._ _

__"Actually, we were going to go around," Thorin felt the need to interject at long last. "Are you saying we shouldn't? That forest... you know there are dangerous monsters in that forest, do you?"_ _

__"Whatever, Pops and I can take them."_ _

__Gloin gruffly whacked Gimli around the ears. "Watch that mouth of yours."_ _

__"Well, it can't be that bad, can it, if the elves live there? I've always wanted to see an elf." He glowered at Legolas. "A proper one."_ _

__"It's your call, Thorin," Balin nodded briskly at his boss. "The idea of taking days to go around the forest doesn't appeal to these old bones. My backside's killing me from just a day's ride."_ _

__Thorin eyed the two newcomers. He turned to Bombur. "You say you've been there? Are you familiar with the woods?"_ _

__"...Aye, if you stick to the path. But sticking to the path is not as easy as it sounds, trust me. And I'd rather not be face to face with one of them spiders again." Bombur was looking quite uncomfortable indeed. "Of course, maybe the elf can get us through."_ _

__Kili felt Fili's arms encircle him tighter from where he sat behind him on his horse. Fili hated spiders. Feared them, much to his shame. Even tiny ones sent him running the other direction._ _

__"If by _elf_ you mean me," Legolas rose to his full height, "I'm sorry but I cannot. I've never been to these woods before. My clan hails from... from a distance."_ _

__"Bosh, all elves know each other one way or another. We just make sure we run into them and you can diplomatically get us a court audience." Bombur sounded pleased with his reasoning. Anyone could see through his transparent words and know that he was interested in the elven king's food most of all._ _

__"All right, the woods it is," Thorin grunted. "Ori, Gloin, we're going to depend on you there. If you need something before we go in, tell me."_ _

__Ori waved it away. Gloin however gestured at the dead lizard. "A good meal would be nice."_ _

__And so it came to be that at the fall of night, they had found the rim of the woods and a decent camping spot, and a fire burned bright in their midst._ _

__"Won't those lizard men come back and attack us?" Ori wondered, moving unconsciously closer to Dwalin. He had admired the man's battle techniques earlier in the day._ _

__"No, lad," the grizzled warrior assured him. "The chill of night drives them to their burrows underground."_ _

__"Wouldn't it be safer, then, for us to travel at night?" Fili wondered, watching Bombur pull chunks of roasted meat from the rib area of the cooked lizard man. It smelled very good, but the idea of eating it made his stomach knot._ _

__"Ah, you'd think that, wouldn't ya?" Bofur chuckled. "But there are far worse creatures roaming at night."_ _

__Kili, who liked attacking monsters only when they didn't surprise him from a close range, looked at the tall gnarled trees of the woods. Every bit a wood from another world, he couldn't fathom ever seeing one like this in the real world. It didn't look like the type of magical woods of wandering deer and waterfalls in fields of flowers—any elves living inside couldn't be archaically divine like his expectations._ _

__He leaned his head against Fili's shoulder. "We probably shouldn't go for a walk, should we?" he murmured, pulling a strip of meat off the piece in his hands._ _

__"Probably not," Fili smiled gently, accepting the food from Kili. His stomach growled again, and he took a tentative sniff. It smelled—he hated the cliche, but it was true—like chicken. He popped it into his mouth. It was surprisingly delicious. "Mmm," he murmured around the savory meat. "Kili, look!" he pointed beyond the circle of their fire towards a trio of large mushrooms. Dainty, colorful lights—multicolored fireflies, it seemed—danced around the giant fungi. "That's just beautiful."_ _

__Kili sat mesmerized. They had never quite shared a romantic moment that didn't revolve around physical contact, and even with the others around him, Kili took what he could get. His thumb stroked the back of Fili's hand, hidden under his leather sleeves. "If this situation gets fixed and we make it out, can we come back here with just the two of us some time?"_ _

__"Maybe," Fili flipped his hand over and interlocked his fingers with Kili's, "once we're both level fifty."_ _

__Kili chuckled. "Looks like we'll come back in a few years then." He still hadn't levelled since he had been undead. He knew he was getting better at things—he just had to—but it never quite got the familiar glow. He never felt stronger. In the fight with the lizards, he had seen Bofur get another level, so he knew it had to still be a part of the world. "I don't mind it, you know," he said. "The levelling. I just want to be able to go where you go."_ _

__Fili gave thought to this. Either the lizard men weren't very high level creatures, or he must have gotten stronger, too. "Maybe, since we figured out we're no longer playing a game, the levelling has stopped," he suggested. "But I feel as if my skills have improved. I would have never let them hurt you, Kili. I also won't let you out of my sight." He accepted another piece of meat from Kili._ _

__"None of this makes any sense," his brother said. He soon added a rectification, "None of this world, I mean. Poor Ori. We must have confused him talking about our world. I don't think he's just a made up character in a fictive world. Neither are Oin, Gloin and Bofur. Gimli would kick me for simply suggesting it. But we're here, and apparently we can die. If there's spiders in that forest, Fee, they'll have to come through me."_ _

__Kili wished he could lean in and kiss Fili right now, but even here everyone knew they were brothers. He squeezed his hand instead, and whispered so quiet that nobody could hear, "I love you."_ _

__Fili's fingers tightened on Kili's. "I love you too," he whispered. "Enough to walk through a forest full of spiders."_ _

__Ori, who had incredible hearing, made out the word _spider_ in their conversation. "They're joking about the spiders, naturally," he tried to reassure the brothers. "Spiders simply don't grow to be that large."_ _

__Kili smiled at him with appreciation, but he wasn't sure that Ori was right._ _


	10. There Are Still Too Many Things We Haven't Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The company discovers just how deadly Mirkwood can be.

Morning came with a drizzle and cloud-mottled light. Thorin, who had been up for several hours, stood by the entrance of the woods, where Dwalin at last found him. 

"Tell me we're making the right decision," Thorin sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this." 

"We're making the soundest decision," Dwalin corrected. He had always had a way of placating Thorin while at the same time putting his best friend in his place. "Fastest route to this Gandalf fellow. All the maps say so. And," he leaned in and whispered, "you know I'll help protect your nephews. You aren't the only level 50 here with a mithril chest plate." 

"...Thanks. We'll stick to the road. Monsters will find us; we should be ready. Is there anything we can prepare for?" 

"Day or night, this forest is a crapshoot, Thorin," said Dwalin, who had designed the zone himself. "You told me to make the road through Mirkwood a perilous one in order to discourage low-level adventurers from discovering the content too soon. "Now I bet you wish I'd gone easier on them." 

"I never meant for us to have to cross this so soon," Thorin frowned. He implied Fili and Kili. Thorin himself had, ever since being caught in the game, been preparing himself for combat like this. In a world where he couldn't leave at will, he needed to be at the top of his game. The advantage had been knowing the rules of the world. Dwalin and Balin had followed his lead. Not so his young nephews, who had only been here a fortnight and had not had the chance to become much stronger. 

He turned and walked back within hearing range of the camp, where people were preparing for the trip through the woods. A breakfast meal was being prepared by Bombur, and the two archers were tuning their bows. Thorin breathed out heavily. He would protect these young ones with his life against the horrors of the woods. 

It took them half an hour longer before they all decided they were as ready as they could be and marched past the overgrown entrance of the Mirkwood. 

Fili had overheard Dwalin and Thorin talking the day before. "This forest," he told his brother, out of earshot of Ori and the others, "it's dangerous. I heard Thorin say so. It's designed for end-game content. We have to be really careful here, Kili. If we die, we won't be respawning at a shrine to Mahal. We'll be dead for real, like Legolas' co-worker is. Promise me you'll stay close." 

Kili nodded solemnly. "Camouflage?" he asked. "Moving very quietly? We should try to talk as little as we can while we're inside." His gaze lingered at the entrance, where Thorin and the others were preparing themselves. None were eager to proceed, though everyone knew it was for the best that they picked this road. He reached for Fili's hand and pulled him along like a brother. Nobody would suspect that he was really yearning for simple physical contact, except for Fili.

"So," Dwalin leaned over closer to Thorin and murmured so that only Oakenshield could hear. "Your nephews, they're rather… _close_ , aren't they?" 

"They're brothers," he received as the simple answer. "They live on different sides of the country." Thorin pointed in the direction of the cracked-marble fountain in the small square, several yards into the thick of the forest. Overgrown images of stone gods surrounded it, though violence or erosion had chipped away at the faces, leaving an eerie scene before them. "That must be elvish in make. Legolas should scout ahead. If he's caught, he will at least have a chance at appealing to common ancestry." 

"It's only his avatar that is elvish," Thorin reminded Dwalin. "What are the chances Legolas can actually read these runes?" 

They were interrupted by a cough. The tall archer walked up beside them. "Actually, I can read them like they're English. Funny, isn't it? I'm not sure if the same goes for speaking it, but no trouble understanding, here." He walked up ahead and turned. "Everyone says they're ready to go. Let's not stall, or we'll lose the light too early once we're in." 

Fili grinned at his uncle as he passed him by to fall in line behind Legolas. "He can _read_ it," Fili mused. "Probably a racial trait." 

"That would make sense," Thorin nodded. "Glad I thought of that." 

"Actually," Legolas cleared his throat, " _I_ thought of that." 

Ori rolled his eyes at the men before him. He had never heard of an elf who couldn't speak elvish, but then their companions were from a different part of the world. It might, he thought, account for why they spoke in such confusing manner about themselves—like they didn't know who they were. 

"The air smells funny," Ori mentioned to Gloin. "Is it something unnatural, or is it just the plants?" He also thought he heard shuffling behind him. When he looked, Gimli was dragging his feet through dry leaves, kicking at piles. Ori could swear that the sound was not the same. 

"It smells like," Bombur drew in a lungful of air, "forest. Not the most hospitable one of Middle Earth, I'll grant you that. Many say it's not only filled with all sorts of dangerous beasty, but that it's haunted as well." 

"I don't put much credence in that," Bofur scoffed. 

"Can I ward someone against being haunted?" Ori wondered. He was still figuring out his powers. Healing he knew, although he continued to get stronger, but he was starting to feel there was more to his magic than simply stitching wounds with his energies. 

Fili chuckled. "I don't think so, but I'm pretty sure clerics have reduced damage when attacked by the undead. That should offer you a small bit of comfort. Plus, you will get fear spells. When you cast them, the bad guys run away for a short time." 

Ori chuckled. The thought of monsters running away from his unintimidating self amused him. "Fair enough. I feel like I'm on the verge of levelling again. Not that I have in a while, but still." 

As they talked, the light of the sun above them grew fainter and fainter. At midday, Gloin commented that he did not feel like they had been on foot all day already. He hadn't—the day was barely past half its length when twilight was kicking in. It wasn't just that. The horses were growing restless too. Any movement startled them. Thorin raised his hand to pat his steed once, only to have it rear onto his back legs all of a sudden. 

"I'm hungry," Bombur complained when the light was almost fully gone. "There were supposed to be monsters to kill and roast. Where are they?" 

"They only come out at night," Bofur chuckled nervously, patting his brother on the shoulder. "That's what the rumors say, right?" 

"He's right, you know," Dwalin told Thorin. "This zone is designed to be more challenging from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. If we were smart, we'd be traveling at night and sleeping by day." 

"What difference does it make?" Thorin wondered. "Isn't it wiser traveling when everything else is sleeping?" 

"Only if we want to get killed in our sleep." As matter-of-fact as always, Balin's honesty occasionally bordered on blunt moroseness. He used his staff to tap the tiles of the path to make sure that they would continue to follow the right route despite the dark. Any time the thud struck earth or moss, the company halted until he had found the right way again. 

In this dark, Kili chanced holding hands with Fili. He smiled when his brother turned to look at him. Kili had trouble discerning Fili from this close—he was sure none would comment on a stolen moment of closeness. 

Once they’d camped, Fili leaned over and lay his forehead against Kili's in the light of their campfire. "Not such a bad day, was it?" he asked his brother. "After what Dwalin said about this zone, I expected someone to die. But all we saw were a few birds and rabbits." 

"I'm _glad_ no one died." Kili tore off a small strip from his equally minute dinner of dried meat and a type of bread he hadn't seen before. Only a few bites were needed to be full, Balin had said, and though Kili had been skeptical about that, he had seen Bombur eat two and he was now clutching his belly with a whimper. "Do you remember when we were just separated? When Mom called you every day when Dad was out, and I begged her to put me on the phone with you?" 

"I hated those phone calls," Fili confessed. "I think Mom thought she was helping, but it was torture. I could hear you, Kili, in the background. And I tried to block it out, for my own sanity. I guess I hoped that you might forget about me and move on and have a normal life." He smiled. "How's that working out for you?" 

Kili laughed, muted because of the trees and the shadows around them. "Oh, you know, I ended up a ranger in another world. Really though, I missed you. There were times when I thought of running away, catching the first bus and asking you to come with me. That wouldn't have been very considerate, but I didn't care, back then. I needed to be with you." 

"I'm glad you stayed, Kee," Fili answered immediately. "You needed to go to MIT and graduate. Now, the world is wide open for you. You can work anywhere you want!" 

"Which is wherever you are." Kili chanced a quick kiss on Fili's cheek while nobody was watching. How he wished that it was really just the two of them, and not in this cursed forest. He felt like foreign eyes were watching them from the dark. "What's this?" he wondered when something small crawled over his hand. 

"This is a forest," Fili leaned into the kiss, hoping for more. "There's all sort of critters, I'm sure. This one," he squinted is a..." his eyes grew wide. "J-just shake it off, over that way!" he directed, trying to control the panic in his voice at the sight of the small grey spider on the back of his brother's hand. 

It looked harmless enough, but Kili knew how his brother feared spiders of any size. He quickly shook his hand, dislodging it. The spider scuttled in the direction of the fire, until he put his foot between it and their company, at which it returned from the darkness whence it came. "Just one," he said softly. "It's all right." 

Kili couldn't have known how wrong he was until it emerged again into the faint light. He smiled and waved his hand, meaning to brush it aside, but it froze mid-air when more and more crawling greyback spiders appeared. 

Fili, who had gotten quickly to his feet when his brother sent the spider flying, gasped and began moving closer to the campfire. "Fuck me," he whispered. "Kili..." 

"Get a torch," Kili issued. Up on his feet, he tried to avoid the spiders that were still increasing in numbers. When he saw that larger ones were joining the harmless ones, he had not the heart to tell Fili but lashed at them as soon as he found something solid to attack with. 

The others caught on. Ori ran forward with big eyes to assess the situation in naive curiosity. He was pulled back by Balin and Dwalin before reaching Kili. 

"...Try to heal one," Oin said. 

"Why?!" 

"Confirmation. Let's pray the sucker continues walking." 

"Undead?" Thorin whipped his head around. "You think they're undead?" 

"Undead spiders?!" Fili muttered under his breath, hands shaking so badly he could barely wrap them around the hilts of his swords. "How is that even possible?!" 

Not questioning why Oin, their senior healer, would ask him—a mere level 12—to try to heal the spiders, Ori raised one hand in the direction of the approaching mob and fired a heal off. The spider in question paused a moment, shook it off and continued to advance. 

"What do they want?" Gimli cried out. "Dad, what do they _want?_ " 

"Us, out of their territory, that's what they want!" Bofur answered for Gloin, using his daggers to go for the larger ones. His weapons weren't very effective, and so the spiders were creeping up his leg already. "Uh, guys, more fire!" 

"Working on—Bofur, on your back!" 

When Bofur tossed off his jacket, he stood eye to eye with a spider the size of a large hand. He stabbed it, cringing at the high-pitched scream. "We have to go!" he called out. "Before the big ones come." 

"Big ones?" Ori squeaked. "Bigger than this?" 

Fili shoved one of his falchions back into its sheath and picked up a branch instead, sticking it into the fire and creating a torch. The spiders seemed wary of the fire. "Make a torch, Ori!" he instructed the healer. "Unless you have some sort of fire spell!" 

"Fire?! I do green magic, remember?" Ori promptly followed Fili's example and waved a flaming branch at the creatures. He was waving it so wildly that he had more trouble keeping the fire alive than the spiders away. 

Gimli was using his slingshot, whereas Legolas next to him fired arrows of flame into the midst. "You'll burn the forest," Gimli hissed. "I can't believe you're really an elf." 

"At least I'm doing more damage than you!" Legolas fired poisonously in return. "Pebbles?! How old are you?" 

"I don't care if he's throwing pies," Fili hissed, "as long as it keeps the spiders away!" 

But the forest floor was crawling with them, as if they'd stepped into a nest. It was more likely that the nest had come to them. 

"Thorin," Dwalin breathed into his friend's ear. "We need to move!" 

Thorin nodded once, and tossed a lump of fire in the creatures' direction. The light that shortly fell on the dark had them all pause and stare, for it revealed what was yet to come. 

"Run!" Gloin yelled. 

The path, so carefully followed during their travels through the wood, was abandoned in less than a minute. They ran as fast as they could, followed by a plague of spiders claiming the forest floor and trees. Larger ones hung from the branches, webbing obstructing them everywhere. They were trying to get away, though it only seemed like they were getting further in trouble. 

Fili's phobia of spiders had begun as a young boy. He and Kili had been playing hide and seek at their old home in Salem. One of Fili's favorite hiding spots had been under the front porch. A corner of the screening was loose and he was able to slip inside. During the summer, the spot had been cool and dark. Fili loved it. 

Until one day a large wolf spider crawled across his shoulder. 

At first Fili had thought it was a hand. He thought his brother—who was not terribly stealthy at age of four—had come up behind him and collared him. When he reached over, his hand had met with something furry; something large and furry that filled up his small hand. He turned his head to see the large, grey spider wriggling beneath the digits. 

He had screamed, giving away his position to Kili, but he had no longer cared. He had pushed the monstrous creature away, bursting out through the screen, staples flying every which way. He had barely felt two of them piercing his palms, crawling hurriedly over his mother's daisies. 

When Kili had come running, Fili had been curled up by the swing set, still brushing frantically at his shorts and t-shirt, ridding himself of spider that was no longer there. 

These spiders were bigger. Spiders this big simply did not exist outside of Harry Potter and video games. 

Fili's lungs constricted and that same panic that overtook him as an eight-year-old returned. "Kili...." his brother's name came out as a wheeze. "Kee....." 

His brother was next to him in a second. "I know. I know, Fee, and I promised I'd protect you from them, but you have to keep running." Hands cupped Fili's face, keeping his eyes only on Kili. "None of them is going to hurt you, do you hear me?" 

Fili's eyes met Kili's, full of clarity. "I didn't sign up for this," he said fiercely. "I just wanted us to be able to spend some time together." 

"As did I." Kili tried to will some action into his brother. A distance was forming between them and the others. "But right now, I want to live so we can make it out of here. There are still too many things we haven't done. Come on, Fee. Spiders are such a stupid thing to come between all our plans." 

Fili nodded. "I know," he whispered. "I want to close my eyes...," he drew in a deep breath. "Just... let's go, Kee. Let's go." He grabbed for his brother's arm and ran off after his uncle and the others. 

They were as fast as they could. Branches unseen swept in their faces, and wild brambles clawed at their cloaks. Thorin led the party, though it was clear his objective was only to get them to safety—they had long lost the road. 

"Ori!" Balin suddenly called. "Where's Ori? He was behind me. Where is he?" 

"...Dad?" When looking around, Gimli couldn't spy his father anywhere, either. 

And then Fili felt a sting in his neck. 

With a gasp, he reached up to touch the spot, certain it had just been a snapping tree branch or a nick from his chain mail. His hand encountered nothing but flesh, and he sighed in relief. "Are we lost?" he asked Kili, but his mouth struggled to form the words. 

The rest of the group came to a halt. The forest floor was quiet when they looked behind, the spiders retreating, scuttling away from the makers of the giant webs that now surrounded them. 

"Fili?" Kili's eyes were big. "What's the matter? Hey." He turned his head. "Thorin? This is not good." 

_What's the matter?_ Fili tried to say, but the words wouldn't come. His face was tingling, and suddenly he felt dizzy. 

"Fili!" Thorin raced towards the blonde and Fili slowly raised a hand to his own neck, which had suddenly gone cold. 

"These spiders!" Dwalin cried out. "If one of them's bitten him, it could be bad. Those ones chasing us were level 5 through 20. But the ones who made _these,_ " he gestured at the silken webbing adorning the trees around them. "Well, we won't want to encounter them." 

Fili swayed on his feet, suddenly leaning very heavily on Thorin. 

Thorin's eyes went to the spot where Fili's hand had been and found two small puncture wounds. "Oin!" he bellowed. "Get over here!" 

No response came. Kili, who was now trying to hold Fili upright because his legs were hardly working, looked around desperately. "What is happening?" he cried to his uncle. "Is he—he's not... is he?" Fili couldn't die, not now. Kili didn't know what he'd do without him. "Oin, damn you, come here!" 

It was just a small prick, at the back of his arm, that sealed it for Kili. A needle, nothing more. He gasped, stared at Fili, and began to mutter, "No, oh god, no. Fee, it's—" 

He couldn't say any more. Fili had fallen lifeless. 

Ori's hands were already glowing green when he burst past Oin towards Fili's side. "Cure poison," he whispered, laying his hand over the injury. "It has to work. I just got the spell. I could feel it!" 

But Fili didn't stir. 

"Move aside!" The elderly Oin finally reached Fili's side, winded as he was. "Mine is stronger. Let's see if it works on the lad." 

"Where—?" Kili started. He looked from Ori and Oin, previously missing, to Fili, then to his own hands. His fingertips were turning blue. "All right, all right, but hurry." He got out of their way. 

Kili hated to see Fili like this. There was hardly any movement in him left. He was breathing, but he looked like he had died already. For a moment, Kili was sure that if Fili did die, Kili would join him six feet under in heartbreak. He clutched his hand. "Don't leave me," he whispered. 

He too was beginning to feel strange, disconnected from his body. The voices around him began to blur into an uncomfortable cacophony. 

"What’s that...?" 

"I think I'm stung too, Dad!" 

"We're all going to die here!" 

Then, everything went dark.

\- - - - -

When Fili woke, the world was upside down, and the leaf-scattered forest floor ten yards beneath him—not that he could see that far. Web after web were spun like a safety net under him. Next to him strange lumps of the same substance were suspended from other branches. There was no sign of his friends, or any other life. The big spiders were gone, and only their smaller kin occasionally moved along one of the threads.

No, wait, he thought he heard footsteps. But _above_ him? 

When he looked, no one was there. 

He was afraid to call out. Where there were webs, there were spiders. And where there were small spiders, Dwalin, who designed the zone, assured him—there were bigger spiders. Then, his heart leapt into his throat. Those other bundles... they were cocoons, and probably contained the rest of his party! 

He couldn't move his arms, which terrified him. When he looked up, which made him sick to his stomach, Fili realized he was halfway cocooned himself. The strong, gossamer strands covered him to mid-chest. But his right hand was inches from a pocket where he'd hidden one of several jeweled daggers he'd stolen from the marketplace. If only he could reach it! 

"Don't," hissed a voice from above. And true enough, something was unwinding the strands suspending him, although he could not see anyone. "I'll send your weapons after you. Be quiet." 

Fili gasped. Someone invisible was helping him. Or maybe it was just the after-effects of the poison in his bloodstream. Slowly—almost painstakingly slow—the webbing was removed from him and soon he found himself disconnected from the webbing at his feet. "Is it far to the ground?" he asked, but it was too late for an answer; he was falling. Fili bounced off the first layer of webbing, then fell through making a gentle landing on the second. There were two more of these before a longer drop to the ground. 

_My brother!_ he wanted to yell up to the stranger who had saved him. But he didn't want to alert the spiders. 

True to his word, the invisible stranger let the bag of weapons drop to his level. Fili's arms were still bound by webbing. His maneuverability on the floor was however considerably better than hanging from a tree, and with some trouble one of Bofur's daggers was his. 

He was right on time, for one by one did the other cocoons start dropping down. "Release your friends," a disembodied voice said from beside him. Yes, definitely male. Fili saw no tracks on the floor. "I'll keep the spiders distracted." 

He'd fallen quite a distance, but remarkably nothing seemed to be broken. Thankfully Bofur kept his daggers exceptionally sharp. When Fili opened the closest cocoon, he found Gloin inside. 

"M'boy," the red haired warrior whimpered weakly. "Have you found Gimli?" 

"Easy, Gloin," Fili worked to cut the man free without injuring him in the process. "You're the first I got out. But two of us can work twice as fast as one." He handed the man another dagger. 

Gloin swayed a bit unsteadily on his feet as he moved to the closest of the cocoons. It took some time and the mood was terse, but eventually cocoons containing Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Gimli, Legolas, Bofur, Bombur and Bifur were opened. There was one cocoon left on the ground in the center of the circle. 

But two were still missing — Kili and Ori. 

Gloin cast one mournful look at Fili, before he set to work. "Who released you?" he asked, trying to distract Fili from the truth, whoever it ended up being in the cocoon. "He, or she, I suppose, should look for one more. To be honest, lad, I thought we were done for. I succumbed to the poison last of us. I thought to myself, 'this is it'. I don't know what happened, but it's a gift from the gods that it did." 

"It was a man," Fili told them. "At least I think it was. He was invisible." His eyes never left the cocoon that Gloin was cutting open. 

"He must be a very high level rogue to have an invisibility spell that those spiders can't see through," Legolas posited. 

"We've got to climb back up there!" Fili said nervously. "Whether it's Ori or Kili, I'm not leaving anyone behind!" 

At last, the webbing was cleared and Fili caught a glimpse of... 

Well, what was it? A figure was weaving in and out of view, using the webbed corridors that wound through the forest like he was born among them. He couldn't have been more than a kid or a teen at best, his frame small and yet nimble in a way that could only come with life experience. 

Whenever he thought he was in danger, he would fidget with something in his pocket and blink out of sight, and soon they had lost him again. 

"He's the one who—?" Bofur started. "He seems to know what he's doing. We should follow him." 

"What about Kili?" Fili sounded almost frantic. When the final cocoon on the ground yielded up a nearly unconscious Ori, Fili was struck with panic. "We can't leave without him. Uncle?" 

"We won't leave him." Thorin was adamant about it despite his queasy. He shook his head, but other words were cut off when he nearly threw up. 

"We don't know which way we have to go," Balin supplied in his stead. "We might as well search in the direction of this fellow. He could help us, if he helped you, and he's certainly more at home in these trees." 

Thorin's face grew so pale when he clutched at his middle that Fili grew alarmed and moved to his uncle's side. They were all pale and shaking from the after-effects of the poison. A hike through the forest seemed nearly insurmountable. But the prospect of staying here in a nest of giant spiders was unthinkable, especially for Fili. 

Tears were in his eyes, that fell despite Fili's shame. "This is my fault. I should have run faster." 

"There's no point regretting anything now," Dwalin spoke up. Equally shaken, he nonetheless continued to look around for signs of danger. "We move now, until we lose what hope there is left. We never should have taken this road in the first place, but we did because we're in a hurry. Think on that before you blame yourself." He pushed forward in the direction of the stranger, clutching a war-axe in his hand, and forced the rest to follow him, lest they lose him too.


	11. I Want To Log Out And Never Come Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili are reunited, and Legolas finally finds Tauriel.

Lump after lump, suspended from the trees did, they pass above them, though none of them were human in shape. Eventually the webbing began to thin and the trees took over the terrain again, which meant that they had to be getting to the edge of the nest. Once or twice, a whistle came from the treetops ahead of them. But the stranger was not to be found.

Ori, who was beginning to regain his strength, stopped in his tracks at the base of a very large tree. "Do you hear that?" he asked. Through the woods weaved the faint echo of a song.

"Elves," Thorin muttered under his breath, still looking more than a bit ill.

"We're getting closer to the castle," Bombur nodded.

"Whose castle?" Ori wanted to know. ''The wizard's castle?"

"We're not sure," Bombur shook his head. "Strange things happen around that place though. I wouldn't go near it. It's said to be haunted."

"What is wrong with elves?" Legolas frowned. "You say it like it's a bad word."

"Nothing ever comes to a good or sensible end where an elf is involved," Ori said resolutely, sneaking a guilty look in Legolas' direction. "At least that's what my brothers say."

"It's the lore," Thorin explained. "Dwarves and elves have a cold, quiet war. Sometimes not so cold or quiet in places. Some of the dwarves truly loathe the elves. Others tolerate their presence grudgingly for trade purposes."

"But it would be better than coming face to face with the spiders again," Bofur mentioned. "And they could have food. At any rate, do we push forward and find the man who set us free, or do we go back? Kili might still be there."

"I don't want to keep moving forward," Fili, who had been quiet for the past ten minutes or so, spoke up. "I want to go back and get Kili." He turned to Bofur. "If it were your brother back there, would you have left him behind? Or you?" he set his accusing gaze on Dwalin.

"The spiders…" Dwalin warned. Thorin broke him off with a shake of his head, and took a step back.

"We are not leaving anyone."

Just then, though, a flicker of movement appeared in the direction they had been taking. "Follow me," a voice whirled like smoke through the air—the same voice that Fili had heard earlier. "Stick to the road. Don't go back. There is nothing to go back for."

"Yes. There. Is!" Fili let out a cry and pulled out his swords. "My brother!" his chest heaved and he shook. "We have to... we need to..." He sighed sadly, his arms too weak to hold the weapons upright. The tips fell to the forest floor and he lowered his head.

"Oh, Fili," Ori came to the blonde's side, laying a small healing spell on him, for which Fili gave a grateful, albeit watery smile.

"Show yourself then, wraith!” Oin commanded. "Let us thank our savior face to face!"

"No time for that now," their savior in question muttered in a rather impatient manner. "Follow me, you idiots. If your brother is the one with the long brown hair, he isn't there. I'll take you to him, but you have to be quick. She's taking him to the king."

"I don't like his tone," Ori frowned.

"Who is _she?_ " Fili wondered, stepping towards the disembodied voice with renewed strength.

"Come, everyone," Thorin rallied the troops. "Perhaps this king will treat our injuries."

"Wouldn't count on it," the voice mused. For those who paid attention, traces of mirth were in his tone. Whoever it was, he had the body of a child, and he was carefree like one, except that he knew things. When next he spoke, small footsteps imprinted themselves into the soil next to Thorin. "King Thranduil isn't very hospitable, you see. He doesn't know who or where I am, and a good thing that is. You are as much intruders as I am. Oh, he knows I'm here, but since I can manage the spiders to some extent, he pretends he does not. So what brings you lot here? Did you get lost as well?"

"We've come this way on purpose, thank you very much," Balin broke in. "We're on our way to see the wizard, Gandalf."

"In hindsight, a shortcut through this particular forest probably wasn't a very good idea," Thorin muttered, still looking a bit green.

"Oh, I see. His friend stops by every now and then. You might have seen him? Can't miss him if you do, really, what with the bird's nest under his hat. If it's Gandalf you're after, your best bet is getting Radagast—that's the fellow—to give you a ride. His rabbits are incredibly well-trained." The voice continued merrily as if they had not just left a nest of spiders the size of human children. "Right, left at this fork. At the end is an encampment. Once the hunters there have rounded up enough spiders, they'll head back to the king. Your friend will most likely be there until then."

Wondering how any of them, even the smallest, could possible ride on a rabbit, Legolas asked, "Aren't you coming with us, then?"

"I'm taking you there, now aren't I?" The man smiled. "I'm just telling you so you know what to expect, and when to keep your voice low. The blond one, he's close to freaking out, so..."

"I just want my brother to be okay," Fili muttered. He wanted very much to like the owner of the disembodied voice because he had saved their lives, but it was getting more challenging by the minute. "I won't endanger us."

"They hunt _spiders?_ " Ori wrinkled his nose. "Ugh, I hope they don't eat them. Dreadful!"

"Oh no, they're poisonous, see. Black blood and rotten meat. Better t—shh, we're here." The voice petered out. Seconds later, Dwalin saw the first flicker of a fire. It burned straight ahead of them and, as they approached, people could be heard talking to each other. A small camp unfolded before their eyes, one for an expedition of five people at the most, one of which was on guard and two were talking to each other by the fire. The language was incomprehensible.

"Legolas?" Bofur whispered.

"What?"

Bofur gestured impatiently for the only elf in their party to translate, at which Legolas rolled his eyes.

"The king is in a foul mood. Must have had too much wine—their words, I swear—and has been in bed all day. Won't mind if we—they—return later because T—" Legolas stared, baffled. "Because Tauriel isn't back yet."

"Tauriel? Isn't that your friend?" Ori asked the archer. "The one who was lost?"

"I don't see my nephew," Thorin muttered impatiently. 

Fill bristled beside him. "Maybe our invisible savior has brought us to a trap."

The sigh that came from somewhere in their midst was decidedly done with the way they showed their gratitude. Something rustled, and then a small man zapped into being, his strawberry blond hair tousled and altogether rather adorable for someone so impatient. "There, now you've seen me. You're a terribly mistrustful lot for a bunch of people who have just been saved from becoming a meal. I can't see your nephew either, but I can assure you that it was their lot who took him. Invisible or not, I'm not going to look into one of those tents for you, but I'm guessing that that's where he is. Or with the redhead. She's not too bad, but these lot..."

"You know Tauriel?" Legolas demanded. "How long?"

Their small savior, who was far too dapper in his plum-colored vest and short pants to be a rogue, confounded them all. He looked more like a grocer than a hero. And yet he bore a powerful ring that allowed him to become invisible. It had to have to have been looted from one of the most powerful dungeon bosses in the game. Perhaps even the Goblin King himself.

"She's been with _them_ only a short while," the man, who was little taller than Fili and Ori, said tersely. "Goodness, how they fawn over her. Not a lot of women in this neck of the woods, if you know what I mean."

Legolas sniffed. "It's always been like that with her. I'm so glad to hear she is doing all right, though I admit this is not the place I would have expected her. But if they're waiting for her, maybe it's best if we do too." He looked at Fili. "She could help us get Kili back." Then he returned to the man. "You're sure the spiders no longer have him?"

"Positive." The man wriggled his nose merrily. "Pardon me, I haven't introduced myself. Bilbo, Bilbo Baggins."

"Hello, Mr. Baggins," Thorin greeted him. 

"Why isn't he wearing any shoes?" Ori looked down at Bilbo's bare feet, a forest of reddish brown hair sprouted from the top of each one.

"He's a halfling," Dwalin told Ori. "Not many of them about anymore."

"I've never seen one before at all," Ori wondered. "My brothers were right. I _do_ need to get out more."

"His feet are very tough on the bottom," Dwalin told him. "So tough he needn't wear boots."

"That's handy," Ori nodded. "Although, it would drive me quite mad. My feet do get frightfully cold."

Fili cleared his throat. "We were going after Tauriel and Kili, then?" he reminded those present.

"Yes, about that," Bilbo smiled, feeling very awkward after being talked about so blatantly while he was standing right there. "I have no idea where she is. We'd better wait here for her, and actually find somewhere better secluded. If we talk too much, they'll hear us just as loud as we can hear them from here. Kili probably isn't with her. See how that one guy with the feather is looking back at the tents ever so often?"

"Then we wait?" Thorin asked him.

"Then we wait."

"I'm starving," Bombur complained. "They have food. There are only three. Can't we overtake them?"

Bilbo raised a brow at him. He shook his head minutely. "Don't be ridiculous. If it's food you want," and he pulled several neatly wrapped packs from the small bag over his shoulder, containing the same kind of wayfarers' bread that Bombur had utterly stuffed himself on earlier. "Only a small bite, they don't come cheap. Now, I'm sure she won't take long. Until that time we wait."

"Wait for what?" a stern female voice interjected.

Legolas, who up until that point, had seemed terribly put together and confident, stammered. "T—Tauriel? It's you!"

She laughed, looked his webbed appearance over and then pulled him into a hug. Tauriel was a gracious elf with long auburn hair that would have glowed in any place other than the gloomy forest. As such, Bofur and Gimli were instantly smitten with her. "Hi Legolas. It's good to see you... and surprising. What are you doing here? And why are you spying on the others?"

"My brother," Fili told her. "They've got him."

Tauriel blinked. "The little one? They found him caught in a web. A few more minutes and he would have been done for. He's going to be taken to Thranduil as soon as I return. That's not why you're here though. Are things happening that can put an end to this blight on the world, Legolas?"

"Thorin here seems to think there's a wizard who might be able to help." Legolas raised his eyebrows in Thorin's direction.

When Tauriel realized that it was her boss that under all that armor and hair, she gasped. "Mr. Oakenshield! I... I hadn't expected you to end up here too. It is bad, isn't it?"

Thorin acknowledged her by inclining his head. "I have been here for years, so I'm afraid it is. This is Balin, and he is Dwalin. Do you know who they are? The 'little one' in your camp is my nephew. Can you get him out?"

"You're asking the wrong question," interjected Bilbo, who had been listening to the conversation and was beginning to understand why they got into so much trouble. They were completely unorganized. While Thorin seemed to be the leader, he refused to take control of the situation, and their purpose was divided. "See," he started to Tauriel, "first of all, it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, these people are off to Gandalf but they got waylaid by the spiders, and the one in your camp was lost to them. We'd really appreciate it if you could get us and him to Radagast. We won't blow your cover if you're here for a reason, just don't take us to Thranduil. You know how he gets with things he doesn't know about."

"It's not the wrong question at all!" Fili injected. "I won't keep leaving Kili behind. Why does everyone keep insisting I leave Kili behind?"

Tauriel observed him with curious eyes, her head tilted and oblivious to the way Legolas watched her. "You're very concerned about him. You're so restless. I shouldn't keep you waiting, should I?" And up she got, headed for her company around the fire as she left the company in confusion.

Once she reached the edge of the open space, she pointed in the direction of Thorin's company. The two guards looked straight at where they were hiding before they dispersed in the darkness that surrounded them.

"She's one of them!" Bombur cried woefully. "She betrays us! What do we do?"

"You said earlier," Fili reminded the company, "there are only a few of them. We can take them, if we have to. Right?"

The company murmured in assent at this, checking and double-checking their weapons and armor, waiting for a surprise attack.

Legolas raised his weapon and aimed it at Thorin. "Put down your swords."

"Traitor!" Gimli huffed.

The bow and its notched arrow remained on Thorin. "I don't believe Tauriel would betray us if not for a purpose. What if she's helping us? You'll be reunited with Kili."

"Stop it, all of you!" Balin raised both hands in a placating manner. "I've known Tauriel for years. She's my employee, and she's not a traitor."

"Then what is she doing over in the other camp?" Bofur asked the question they were all thinking.

"Surviving, probably," Legolas said. "Infiltrating. Granted, she could have told me, but I trust her." He put down his bow to await the two elves that had disappeared. "You won't get an easier way to join up with Kili than this, but for me it has always been about being with Tauriel. I'm sorry."

"So, you want us to allow ourselves to be captured?" Thorin sighed. "You realize death is permanent here, don't you, Legolas?"

"As does she," Legolas insisted. "And I don't know if any of you would be better off with those spiders."

"I can't be seen by the elven king," Bilbo groaned. "I can't. I'll be close, wherever you go, unless it's somewhere I can't follow," and he zapped out of existence.

Ori sat down and sighed. "I surrender."

"Who is this Thranduil?" Fili wondered. "Why is everyone so scared of him?" 

Nobody gave him an answer, for it was then that the two elves emerged with daggers drawn and spears at the ready. Though they were elves, they looked like creatures of the night with hair like a waterfall of moonlight and silver interwoven through the fabric of their tonics. And the moonlight loved their polished armor, deadly and lithe, best.

"Don't make a move," the first one said.

"You're coming with us," said the other.

Ori rolled his eyes. "Well, you've got us now."

While the two elves who accosted them were more wild in appearance and certainly fiercer than Legolas, they were far from threatening, especially to a party of twelve dwarves, one elf and an invisible halfling.

Fili wanted to demand that they take him to Kili. But he also didn't want to be the member of the party that the elves decided to _make an example of_.

"Very well," Thorin spoke up. "We'd like very much to meet the person who rules this forest."

The eldest of two looked him over, before deciding that a roll of his eyes would explain to this underdeveloped figure that nobody was going to listen to his commands, whatever they were. "King Thranduil is busy. You'll be locked up until he figures out what to do with you, but I warn you, he can take a few years to come to that decision." The other elf, meanwhile, was tying everyone up. He didn't seem confused as to why a party that outnumbered that of two elves were willing to give up. They had to be very weak souls indeed. And who could blame them, after they had so obviously run into the spiders?

He shoved Dwalin ahead as the first in line. One after another they made their way to the camp, tied by rope that was stronger than it looked. Tauriel smirked at the sight. "Put them with the other prisoner."

Thorin, at the front of the line, remained impassive as the ragtag group was led forward. Fili was still trembling from the encounter with the spiders, and continued to scan the trees for signs of them. 

Ori met his eyes sympathetically. "We'll see Kili soon," he assured him.

"Quiet, you!" one of the elves gave Ori a prod with the tip of his spear.

Bombur grunted. "Mighty touchy lot," he mumbled. "No food, and dreadfully stingy." He walked along demurely like the others, but it was clear that like some others, he was beginning to grudge their decision to be taken captive by a couple of undoubtedly very strong but also cocky individuals.

The tent that Tauriel had gestured to wasn't big enough to keep all of them, which was why she took it upon herself to split the group into two. The first half would remain around the campfire until dawn. Fili, she made sure, was among the second half to be led into the tent.

The interior was dark. In the front were several seats, in the back what seemed like a mound of furs. On it was a figure, asleep and unaware of the company. He was curled up with silver manacles chaining his wrists and his feet together. Despite his sleep, he did not look peaceful.

Fili let out the pent up breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and rushed to Kili's side, checking him for injuries without waking him. When nothing seemed apparent, his frame relaxed noticeably. 

"Why would they have taken him and not the rest of us?" he asked his uncle.

"He wasn't there when I found you." Bilbo looked Kili over. "He doesn't look like you. You said he was your brother. I thought he'd be blonde with about the same braids or something." That was all he said before remembering that he didn't wish to give his position away to the elves, and remained quiet thereafter.

Thorin sat down next to him. "I don't know," he said. "There's something about him. Maybe—"

"The spiders were about to start on him," Tauriel quietly remarked while pretending to have business in the tent.

"Then I suppose we owe you our thanks, Tauriel," Thorin admitted. "Tell me, how did you wind up here, separated from Legolas?"

She tilted her head just so. "That's a long story. One I'd rather not tell here, with my people outside." Tauriel caught Thorin with a long glance. "Tomorrow morning, we'll leave on foot. We pass several of Radagast's haunts. Make your move at one of them, or be taken to King Thranduil. Either way, I recommend that you rest now. I should go. You," she turned to Fili, "take care of him. He took a bad hit. He might need someone with patience." Tauriel smiled at him kindly, ducked her head, and then she was gone.

There wasn't much Fili could do for his brother while his hands were still tied. He turned to Thorin. "I don't think she's a traitor," he told him, using both hands to brush the hair out of Kili's face. His brother's dark locks, like his own, were much longer here in Middle Earth. "He's all right, isn't he? He seems all right."

"He's alive," Thorin nodded. "We can deal with everything else."

\- - - - -

Morning, as the elves interpreted it, was somewhere around four o'clock with the first light barely filtering through the thicket of the Mirkwood. Nobody was awake enough to understand why they were being jostled so, and Bombur had it worst; he rolled over in his disgruntled mood, nearly squashed Bifur and continued to be impossible to the elves until Dwalin threw him a quick look.

Ori sat amazed at the level of detail he could now make out in the fabric of the tent and everything else that was elven. He enjoyed the sight of Tauriel's figure flitting about during a small breakfast of dry bread, and even appreciated that of his captors. "I wouldn't mind seeing this Thranduil," he admitted to Bofur. "If he's half as gracious as these people..."

"He's still not getting us out of this mess," Bofur countered in all fairness. "I have a feeling that King Thranduil is vain and full of pride. We're his prisoners, besides. Where is Fili?"

"Asleep." Ori smiled. "He's been up worrying about Kili all night. We're trying to buy him some extra time, so eat slower."

The eyes of Legolas met Ori's from a across the table. "You're very kind person, but also shrewd," he told him. "The occupation of cleric suits you perfectly." He nodded perfunctorily, not a hair out of place, and got up and left the table.

"Strange one, that," Oin said around a mouthful of lembas bread. "But he has you figured out, hasn't he?"

Ori squirmed uncomfortably, suddenly very interested in his breakfast.

\- - - - -

It had indeed been very late when Fili dozed off, perched next to Kili on the very edge of the pile of furs. Kili had looked to be resting so comfortably that Fili hadn't had the heart to move him. After hours of watching his brother sleep and listening to him breathing, Fili's own breath had finally evened out and he had given in to sleep's pull.

When he awoke he felt someone pull one of the furs up over him like a blanket.

In the shade of dawn, Kili smiled softly at his brother. He had rolled onto his side under the same blanket and was watching him now with a curious expression, one that was calm one moment and ill at ease the next. "You're here," he whispered when he noticed Fili looking at him. Tears were in his eyes.

Fili threw his arms around his brother and pulled him close. "I thought I'd die," he whispered, voice hoarse with sleep, "when you we found you were missing. I thought the spiders had—" He shuddered. "I thought you were gone." He studied Kili's face closely. "Are you in pain? Did they hurt you badly? Did Tauriel or the other elves?"

Kili sucked his lower lip in. He shook his head demurely. Fili could see that he was shaken to his core. "The spiders, they were going to." Kili's voice was trembling. "I hate this place. I want to log out and never come back."

"I wish we could." Fili caressed the side of Kili's face lovingly. "Thorin seems to think this wizard can help us. I know, I know," he added when Kili rolled his eyes. "It's all just... well, it's impossible. But here we are. We just have to make it out alive."

"It was supposed to be fun," said Kili with bitterness. "There's nothing fun about being a few inches away from being dinner. I've never—" He broke off his sentence. There was no way to describe coming face to face with a ravenous monster with six beady eyes and clicking mandibles, a mouth big enough to take off his head in one messy bite. He had looked death in the eye and realized that he regretted not having done so many things, but he had also truly thought he would die in excruciating pain, in a forest where nobody would find him. Worse was that he had had no idea of Fili's fate. "What happened? Tauriel found me in the nick of time, but she gave me a funny tea and when I woke up, here you were."

"The spiders," Fili told him. "Near as I can tell, we were all bitten, one by one. Most of us wound up wrapped up in cocoons. Someone found us. A halfling. Thorin says the halfing race doesn't even live in this part of Middle Earth and weren't even supposed to be _in_ the beta, so he has no idea where he came from. His name is Bilbo, and he has a really high-level ring. He turns invisible when he puts it on. He killed many of the spiders, cut us all free and led us here." Fili leaned his forehead against the brunet's. "From what I understand, it was Legolas' friend, Tauriel, who found you and saved you from the spiders. She's pretty badass."

"She's on the good side?" That caused his brother to smile, albeit weakly. When he had decided to play this game with Fili, simply to see him unchaperoned like they had not been able to in a long time, he hadn't imagined it being anything like this. It wasn't a game; they were all on the same page there now. "I need to get stronger," he said. "I don't believe there's a person in this world who can send us back, it sounds a bit too Wizard of Oz to me. So I need to get stronger. Nobody and nothing is going to get that close to eating me again, Fee. Maybe this Gandalf can tell us why I'm not levelling anymore."

Just then, Thorin called in from the opening in the tent. "We're leaving in five. Get ready?"

Kili groaned and rolled around.

"Don't shoot the messenger, it's not me who gets to call the shots," Thorin returned, glad to see his nephew alive. "Five. Be ready, please?"

"Come, Kili," Fili smiled. "They want to take us to see Thranduil, king of the elves. Mr. Baggins seems terrified of him, so I'm not sure what to expect."

"Can he take us to Gandalf?" Quite against his wish, Kili got up and stretched his legs. They were still weak from what had happened, and they shook whenever he put his guard down. "Tauriel will protect us from the spiders," he said, sure of himself, but then remembered the promise of protecting Fili that he had not been able to keep, himself. Kili cast his eyes down. "Anything's fine as long as we make it out alive." He reached for Fili's hand and tugged him to the entrance of the tent just as the two elves had begun deconstructing it.

Golden sunlight was streaming through breaks in the forest ceiling. The air smelled of campfire and ancient trees and moss. It would have been lovely to Fili, were they not still prisoners. 

Ori smiled at the brothers and handed them each a piece of bread. "It's small," he told them, "but it's really very filling."

Fili took a tentative bite and tasted hints of honey and oats. "What I wouldn't give for a cup of coffee and a copy of the Mercury News," he lamented to Kili. "And a nice bench to sit on while I read it."

Slightly more awake now, Kili smirked. "Or privacy." He had to watch Gloin's pride be shattered when, upon complaining that he had to pee, he was accompanied behind a tree by one of the guards who looked on with a condescending look as he went about his business. Kili felt bad for the man, although in front of his kid, Gloin tried to play it off as manly and natural to be doing this in the woods.

They traveled ever on a downward slope. Judging from the geography of the place, they should have been able to see a large dip in the roof of the forest from outside, we're it not that the trees were miraculously taller, the closer to the center that they got, until they were thin giants with lofty crowns.

Ori stumbled and stubbed his toe around noon, and they took a short break. They had a long way yet to go.

When they passed a meadow containing a single gnarled tree, Tauriel walked up to Thorin. "Your first chance to get to Radagast," she whispered. "Do you want me to stall?"

"Tauriel," Thorin sighed, "you were on the game's design team. You know as well as I do that Radagast is designed to be cryptic, strange and mostly unhelpful. Do you really think he can be of any use to us?"

"I think any friend of Gandalf could. Unless you'd rather see King Thranduil. Trust me, that'll delay your quest to find the wizard quite a few years."

"It's that tree," Dwalin said under his breath to his friend. "Remember when we were designing shortcuts through the Mirkwood for safer travel? Problem is, it's only active certain times of the day."

"Which times?" Thorin hurriedly replied. They were walking past the spot, and every moment wasted was a chance lost. "How do we know it's active?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake," sighed Bofur, who had listened in, read between the lines of a lot of information that he couldn't make sense of, and raised his hand to draw the attention of the elf closest to him. "I have to go too! Sorry, I should have gone before, but what I say? I won't be long!" and he pointed at the tree.

"Uh," Bombur squirmed uncomfortably, "I should probably go as well. We've been walking a long time and I'm not a small man." He followed his brother towards the tree and they both walked around the back of it. When the guards went to look for them a few moments later, they had vanished.

Ori shifted from side to side nervously. "What happened?" he asked. "Is it the spiders? If it is, we'd really like our weapons back."

"The spiders don't come out this far into the open," one of the guards told him. "It's that tree. It's got magical powers. Sometimes, when people get too close, they disappear."

Bifur's eyes grew wide and he charged at the elf, only to be stopped by a large hand at his forehead.

"Those were his cousins," Legolas explained to the less than tactful elf.

"Come on! It must be active!" Thorin yelled to his compatriots, half of whom had no idea what he was talking about. He began running towards the tree.

Kili blinked, before being dragged along by his brother. "What is it?" he called out. "Is that a portal?" He looked behind him. Legolas was hesitating, because Tauriel did not follow. They were falling behind. "How long will it be open?"

"Thirty minutes, maximum." Dwalin put a hand at Kili's back to hurry him along.

"Legolas!" Fili called to the blond. "Are you coming?"

Legolas looked between Tauriel and his company. He watched on as one of the guards headed for the tree, back to Tauriel again, and knew what he had to do. "I'm sorry!" he called out, before following after the guard and holding him back. A struggle arose between the two. Tauriel called him an idiot and a fool, for he would undoubtedly be led before Thranduil now, but they both knew that it was her not leaving that had caused his decision. "Go!" he called out. "Destroy the portal when you're through!"

_Come with me!_ Legolas begged Tauriel with his eyes, knowing full well that this could be their only chance to get back to the real world. But Tauriel stood resolute.

Fili watched the struggled between the two as he and Thorin made sure all the members of their party passed through the three-foot high opening in the gnarled old tree.

"Now you, Fili," Thorin instructed.

"Did Bilbo go through?" Fili wanted to know.

"I don't know," Thorin said impatiently. "If he wanted to go, he probably went. He seems like the sort."

Fili nodded tersely and stepped through the opening, hoping that Thorin followed shortly after.

Several minutes went by after he emerged from the other side of the portal, which had brought him into a meadow of poppies, surrounded as it turned out by a flock of hedgehogs and regarded by a funny man who smelled of dried bird excrement. "Come on, come on," he muttered, "we haven't got all day."

"Thorin will come," Kili assured him, though he didn't look sure about that. "Can't one of us go back and see if he needs help? What if the elves caught him?"

"One way only." The man shook his head. His pupils were dilated and his hands shook. If this wasn't Middle Earth, he would have looked like a distracted narcotics addict. "The gate is closing, see?"

Dwalin pushed himself forward. "But Thorin is there!"

"Beyond my control, sir."

A hand grabbed his arm through the fading gap.


	12. It's In The Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Radagast provides more puzzles than he does answers. Fili makes a confession that Kili does not like.

With a grunt of effort, Dwalin grasped Thorin's wrist and yanked. Thorin landed on his knees, panting but whole, just as the portal _whooshed_ shut.

"Don't do that to me again!" Dwalin said gently, helping the programmer to his feet.

"You must be Radagast." Fili sized up the wizard, dressed in brown rags and looking rather shabby. "We were told you might be able to help us."

With a subtle plop, Bilbo blinked into existence beside them. He and Radagast shared a look like one might expect between friends who hadn't seen each other for a very long time, before they fell into a hug. "My friend," Bilbo laughed. "It is so good to see you!"

"Bilbo! But, oh, you must come home with me for tea! How are the spiders? Why exactly are you here? Did these people force you?"

"Oh!" Bilbo exclaimed merrily, clapping his hands together smartly once. "I daresay not. However I've had more adventure with them in the past eighteen hours than I've had in the past eighteen years. Some of them claim to be," he leaned in and whispered, " _from the outside._ "

"The outside?" Radagast repeated louder than Bilbo liked, but thankfully inaudibly thanks to the mumble that had taken to his pronunciation after years of no communication with anyone who responded in words. "Then they might know what is going on? With the sickness of the woods? Well, they should join us. I've nearly lost another little one this morning. It's getting closer, my dear Bilbo. Say, have you got any pipe weed left?"

Bofur glanced at Gloin and Ori. "We do," he offered. "Can you help us?"

By the time negotiations were over, Gloin and Bombur had ended up sacrificing a goodly portion of their pipe tobacco to Radagast.

"Thorin," Dwalin took his co-worker by the elbow. "How on earth do I begin to explain game lore that hasn't happened yet to this fellow?"

Thorin considered that. "You don't. If it hasn't happened yet, there's a chance it never will. There's no need to make anyone suspicious." He nudged in Radagast's direction. "How lawful is the man?"

"He's good," Dwalin assured him. "Very, very good. And odd. The Blight is already happening. The Mirkwood's sick. The spiders are growing larger. The world event we planned for beta—it's happening, and it's too late to stop it, Thorin."

"I'd rather not follow the set storyline when we're like this," Thorin muttered grimly. Making sure nobody was listening, he added, "I'm not facing a dragon when we can actually die. I won't have any one of these people go through that. The best path is to make it out and restore it from the outside."

"Thorin, we _have_ to follow the storyline," Dwalin told him. "We can't stop these events from unfolding. It's in the code!"

"We should consult the wizards."

"They aren't even _real_ ," Dwalin reminded him.

"Aren't they? And just what is in the code, Dwalin? Gandalf certainty is not. I remember Radagast being there suddenly from one day to the next. I—"

"Guys?" Bilbo asked hesitantly. "We're being invited over for tea. Everyone else said yes, so... how about it?"

Everyone else was looking expectantly at the pair.

"Don't you remember?" Dwalin hissed at Thorin, "Gandalf might not be in the code, but we did talk about him. Remember when I came to dinner and Fili was saying that we needed to have a good wizard—someone with whom a visit was a reward for passing certain goals in-game? I swear he mentioned calling him Gandalf then."

"That's crazy," Thorin replied, his face blanching. "How could the game possibly overhear our conversations?"

"Maybe," Dwalin posited, "now that we're in full immersion, it's reading our minds."

So as not to draw suspicion or attention to their conversation, Thorin turned to Radagast. "Tea would be lovely," he said. "If you've got anything stronger, I'd not refuse it."

Looking at the bag of pipe weed, Radagast smiled broadly and stuck his finger in the air. "Follow me!"

Light had not left these parts of the woods. The shadows were stronger and more threatening than outside the forest, but in all other ways Radagast's home bordered on idyllic. Mossy lumps covered the wooden roof, and trees emerged from the walls as if the house had been grown from them once.

It was not by any standards a large home. The company would not fit for a visit, and everybody knew from the looks of it that Radagast had never anticipated such a crowd anyway. There wouldn't be enough cups, nor enough chairs. But none complained, happy to be away from the spiders and the elves.

"Do you think we'll see him again?" Ori asked later, seated on a trunk and awaiting his turn for tea. "Legolas, I mean?"

Fili, who sat so closely to his brother that their thighs pressed together, considered that. "I hope so." He turned to Kili and said softly so that Ori couldn't hear, "Legolas won't get home without help."

Kili looked at Ori, and back at his brother. "We can look for him after all this is over?" he offered. "He helped us too." He watched as others drank from cups made of bark, and even Dwalin considered the tea to be strong—Thorin looked green around the edges, and Bombur declined politely with the excuse that he was full. "So this is a wizard? I thought he'd be, you know, looking different. Is he powerful?"

"Deceptively so," Dwalin told Kili. "He looks feeble, simple even, but is very, very powerful. Once of course you're able to make it clear to him what it is that you need."

"Does he understand," Fili asked the big man, "that we are not from this place?"

Radagast was currently rummaging about inside the house, looking for something to present his unexpected guests, but Dwalin could answer for him. "He knows we are different. I don't think he knows about our world, but he knows we're trying to find a way back home, and that it is not a place he has been to."

"Dwalin," Kili started, "Is this really—you know?" He looked at Ori, not wanting to upset anyone with a wrong choice of words. "How long have you been here? Uncle Thorin has been here for years. He fell off the face of the Earth when he went missing. I read somewhere that some of his colleagues also disappeared in the next few months."

Dwalin's eyes were those of a desperate man. "I had to go looking for him. Kili, you should understand my need to be with him more than most." 

Thorin turned to Dwalin and they shared a look of lasting affection.

"Of course, he had to go and drag his brother along with him," Balin added. "He asked me to try his game. We plugged in together, in an Erebor software lab, and wound up here."

"I know Erebor!" Ori piped up. He was glad to not be in the dark for once, and wore a proud look while elaborating, "Well, I mean, my brothers mentioned it in stories. I've never been there, mind you. Never wanted to, if you consider the dragon. We're headed there, actually. East until you get to a great lake, past the woodland... _past the woodland realm!_ We're _in_ the woodland realm!"

Ori had been about to ask what Dwalin had meant by his earlier comment to Kili, especially after that look he had shared with Thorin that had shattered any of Ori's hopes, but now he was distracted with Erebor. 

Kili however did not forget. He shot a look at Fili. If he could have, he would have squeezed his hand. But Kili was afraid now that even here they couldn't be together. "Dwalin?" he asked. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, kid." The man got up and walked Kili to an alcove off of Radagast's rather untidy kitchen. "What's on your mind?"

Kili made sure nobody was listening before leaning against the wooden table—and quickly stepping back when it creaked like it was one step away from collapsing. "It's uh—," he started. "So you said—" He sighed. "What did you mean when your said I should understand better than most?"

"About not wanting someone to get away from you... to be lost," Dwalin patted Kili on this shoulder. "Because you love him, and can't imagine life without him."

Kili stopped breathing. He felt like he had been doused in cold water, like it was the end for him. Dwalin was cruel to say it like it was a kindness. "He's my brother." His voice reached only a hoarse whisper, and he was terrified that his fear was noticeable.

"I'm not blind, Kili." Dwalin cocked his head to one side. "You're so much like your uncle... the way you hold yourself, carry yourself, your expressions. I feel as if I can read you like a book. Am I wrong? Aren't you and Fili in love?'

"...Have you told that to Uncle Thorin?"

Dwalin scoffed. "No, I haven't. But he's not blind either, Kili. Isn't that why your parents sent Fili west to live with Thorin? Because of your... improprieties?"

"You know nothing!" the younger lashed back, cornered like a wounded animal. "You don't know what it's like. Don't tell him, don't you—you don't know anything about us, Dwalin. I won't be separated from him again. If anyone objects or threatens that, I'll take him and go. We didn't come here to—to—"

"Hey... _hey..._!" Dwalin raised his hands in a pacifying manner. "Kili, I'm not trying to make this hard for you. I'm not trying to embarrass you or out you here. You asked and I answered. I'm not the enemy."

"But you're not supposed to know!" Kili exclaimed. The house was small and closed off, but the walls were thin and he was trying hard to be quiet. "Nobody is! We're brothers, it's unacceptable for us to be together. Look at what Dad did to us. Thorin can't know. Mom, she... she can't know, but if he does, then she will."

"It's all right, Kili," Dwalin said as gently as possible, noting the concerned looks Fili was sending their way. The blond had already tried to rise once, but Thorin had held him back with a conversation of some sort. "It's all right," Dwalin assured him again. "Thorin and me, we aren't your mother and father. No one here's going to separate you two."

Perhaps it was their connection being put in words without prejudice or backlash, or perhaps it was hope that Kili had never dared have after Fili and he had been pulled apart, but the young archer's tension deflated. "Why not?" asked he quietly. "Everyone in the other world wants to."

Dwalin leaned in secretively. "Having spent time with your brother, I've gleaned that your father wasn't exactly the most tolerant person. Or understanding. I'm sorry about that. A boy deserves a father he can lean on. I hope that in time you'll come to see Thorin—or even me—as a father figure." His eyes scanned the room. The party seemed to be settling down to Radagast's meal, such as it was. "Fili's a great guy. He is. And I understand you're off to MIT in the fall?"

"You are so behind." Kili laughed now—it was mostly relief. "I'm nearly graduating. You really followed Thorin almost as soon as he disappeared. It's been years, Dwalin. Listen..." It was peculiar, to discover that his uncle had also picked a man as his partner. He almost felt sorry for his mother, who had been surrounded by men all her life. She had once told him she would have liked having a sister or a daughter. Not to replace anyone, she had been quick to add; simply a bigger family. Kili tilted his head to the side and observed him. He found no ill intent or dishonesty. "Thanks, for accepting that about us. You're a good guy. A bit weird to think of you as 'dad,' as I'm sure you understand. Who knows. Anyway, I think I need to talk to Fili now. Can you give us a moment?"

Although he had been making polite conversation with Thorin and Balin, catching up with them came only secondary to Kili. Fili had not missed the panicked look that came over his brother while Dwalin was speaking with him. Although it seemed to have passed, Fili was still relieved when Kili came over to sit with them. Fili handed him a hot cup of tea.

"It's very strong," he warned him. "Radagast says it's the thistle that makes it taste so strange. If you dip one of those biscuits in it, it'll taste better."

"Fee." His brother didn't care about the thistle tea Fili was telling him about. He cast one glance at Ori sitting opposite him, and did his best not to flush in his self-awareness as he placed his hand over Fili, knowing that at least Ori would see, and whispered, "Thorin knows. Dwalin says he does."

"I know," Fili told him, gauging Kili's response. "He knows because I told him, just after I moved in with him."

A long silence greeted him. Kili was visibly taken aback by that. He waited for Fili to explain himself, his hand withdrawn and back in his lap. "You told him? You didn't ask me if you could, and you told him years ago! Were you planning on telling me?"

"He wanted to know why I was sent to live with him," Fili said simply. "I was miserable. He was kind to me, and I needed to talk with someone about it. He never judged me, Kili. Not like Dad. He was fine. He _is_ fine with it. I promise."

Kili wished that Fili had told him before. For years, every family reunion had been painful for him. Everyone had simply been there to keep them apart. Kili had avoided Thorin for that purpose alone on these events. He had continued to believe they were alone in this, only to find out that Fili had had someone to confide in. Kili had never had that. It stung him, when he knew that it was news that was supposed to make him happy. "Okay," he nodded with bleak spirit. "No more hiding in front of two people at least, that's something. I'm going to stretch my legs for a bit. Don't go off without me?"

"Outside?" Fili looked alarmed. "Is that a good idea?"

"Just around the cottage." Could Kili call this place a cottage? "Clearing my head. I won't be long."

"I don't like it," Fili told him, setting his mug aside. "Stay near the door, all right?"

"You don't have to like it," muttered Kili. He needed time for himself, or other people would be the ones to suffer for his mood. "Twenty minutes at most. I'll be at the back of the house." He got up with his eyes firmly fixed to the floor and left the front parlor—if that was what he could call the patch of forest soil that belonged to the house solely because it had a roof.

After Kili left, Fili stared moodily into the dregs of his tea, trying not to think too hard about what those dried leaves and bits of foliage in the bottom of the mug actually were. 

"Did you two have a falling out?" Bofur slid easily down next to him. 

"We're all right," Fili assured him. "I think he just needed air."

"Oh, aye, after that spider nearly killed him, I can understand that." Bofur offered Fili a smile. "Listen, it's none of my business, but I've got a feeling he just hasn't had an easy time lately. I've heard mention that he stopped what you two call 'leveling', and then first the zombie thing and then the spiders nearly got to him, too. Maybe we should stay here for the night, give him the chance to catch his breath?"

"I imagine that's up to our host." Fili turned his gaze to Radagast, who was explaining something to Ori while gesturing at a rack of glass bottles and beakers. Fili couldn't help but smile. Ori seemed unable to escape the unusual wizard. "Bofur..." he began, but then paused.

"Mh?" Bofur lit a pipe and offered it to Fili. "Give him ten minutes, then go after him. That boy is an open book, and he needs you. Let me deal with the wizard. If push comes to shove, I'm sure Ori will be a wonderful negotiator."

Fili felt panicked despite Bofur's ease. He didn't want to let Kili out of his sight. They had been separated six long years. He could still feel the pain of that loss, and wasn't ready to relive it. 

Had telling Thorin been a mistake? It hadn't felt like it. It felt instead like a huge weight off his chest. Thorin never judged him, nor had he tried to change his mind or his heart. 

Kili just didn't know Thorin as well as Fili did. That was it. It had to be.

A chuckle brought him out of his thoughts. "Better yet, go see him now. You have that look on your face again." Bofur had seen it with the spiders. He excused himself with a pat on the back and extricated himself from the conversation in order to give Fili no means of procrastinating.

Radagast's house, as it turned out, had a larger circumference than one might suspect from a glance. A garden patch that spread out among the trees, filled with pumpkins and other crops that kept low to the ground, barring Kili's path until he went around it. He had needed a good few minutes before reaching the cool shade of a tall oak tree, under which he found shelter.

A pleasant breeze brushed by. Above him, the leaves rustled. Radagast's home was different from the rest of the woods in that it was still alive. Quaint though the wizard might be, rabbits and birds loved his keep. It was nice, he thought, as he closed his eyes and just listened.

Fili did not approach his brother but rather leaned against the doorway, keeping an eye on him. It almost looked as if Kili was dozing off when a hand came down on Fili's shoulder, frightening him.

"I'm sorry," Ori whispered, "I hadn't meant to scare you. I finally got away from that Radagast fellow. He smells like the bottom of a dove coop, doesn't he?" he chuckled. "Thankfully, Bombur asked him what was in the tea cakes, so I was able to sneak away. Oh." He lay eyes upon Kili. "He looks tired, doesn't he? We did a lot of walking today."

"Yes," Fili sighed. "I suppose that's it. He's tired."

"Do you think we should leave him alone?" Ori wondered. "I don't want to wake him."

"I wasn't sleeping," Kili sighed. "If you whisper about someone, do it when you're out of range. Why are you here?"

"I was worried," Fili confessed. "I—I just wanted to keep you in my sight. We don't have to talk or anything."

"You don't get it," Kili surmised. He looked away. "Ori, if you could please give us a moment?"

"I'll...." Ori backed away toward Radagast's cottage. "I guess I'll be inside."

"What don't I get?" Fili asked, sitting down a few feet from Kili. "I'm sorry I told Thorin, Kili. I just needed someone to share it with."

"Oh. Oh no, I understand why you did that." Kili smiled quietly. He wasn't mad. "It's just that I've not been able to tell anyone for years. It would have been nice, you know, if you'd told me, but you kept me in the dark."

Fili toed the dirt with one foot. "It hadn't come up," he offered lamely. "And once I saw you again, I really didn't think about anything else but getting close to you."

"I avoided him during Christmas, you know." Kili patted the spot next to him. "You could have texted me, but that's past now anyway. It's just that Dwalin knew, and for a minute it had me terrified that Thorin would find out. I've had to lie to Mom for years."

"I can't imagine what she thinks of me," Fili said sadly. "I've stopped beating myself up over it. Dad died thinking I'm some sort of sick pervert." His voice wavered. "At least you made him proud, Kee."

"How is that?" Kili didn't like to talk about their father, who had made things so difficult for them. "He never stopped believing in the truth. Mom always had to stand up for me, defending a lie. We'd be having dinner and he'd make some inappropriate comment. He would come into the room at unsuspecting moments to check my phone for messages. Once I didn't lock the computer and he went through my email when I got back. He was always trying to find evidence of us. Mom hated it, but let's be honest, she deserves better than all the lies. I still want to tell her someday, but I'm afraid she might want to never see us again. I managed because I knew I'd see you again after graduation, but I started doubting whether you'd still want me after all that time."

"It was torture," Fili agreed. "I buried myself in school and work, and that helped, some. But I never considered being with anyone else. The idea of dating someone... it just made me terribly sad. I thought about you all the time."

Kili leaned his weight against Fili. He closed his eyes and let go the frustration he had harbored. If he was honest, most of that frustration came from knowing how he had made an ass of himself opposite Dwalin, who had been accepting from the first moment. But then maybe it was having been forced to walk on tiptoe wherever he went since Fili had been sent away. People had asked him about it, and the lie he had spun had hurt him increasingly so. "So people exist who accept it. Does that mean I am allowed to take you away from the group more often?"

"I'd really like that." Fili squeezed Kili's knee gently and kissed him on the temple. "Although, it's probably not safe to go wandering off on our own, especially in these woods. Dwalin says this zone is designed for level 45 to 50 players."

In the crook of his neck, Kili huffed. "Right. And I'm never going to reach that level until we get to Gandalf." He frowned then. "Do you think Radagast would know? I admit, he's a bit weird, but he's a wizard too, right?"

"Did you know that Dwalin _invented_ Radagast?" Fili tilted his head to one side. "And _Gandalf_ is a name I made up one night when Dwalin and Thorin were working in the kitchen? How is it possible that Radagast's been made flesh and we can talk to him? I just... well, it's hard not to believe that I'm in some sort of coma and dreaming this."

"We shouldn't be so concerned about what other people think if it was a coma," Kili pointed out. "But if Gandalf was your design—you really designed a person in this world?—anyway, then why would he be able to help?" He considered that. "The only thing keeping us back would be lower stats. I don't think that's it. Maybe you dreamed about someone named Gandalf? Maybe this Gandalf?"

"No, I didn't design any of Middle Earth," Fili smiled, "but I did hear part of a conversation. They were trying to think of a name for a wizard and _Gandalf_ just came to my head. Crazy, isn't it? And apparently he's real—and some super powerful being."

Kili chuckled. "All right. And we'll go look for him." He nudged his nose against Fili's jaw. "Ori's coming back in a few and I haven't kissed you in days. What if I said I might really need one for the road?"

Fili nodded. "I do too." he brought his lips to Kili's, tenderness masking the passion that threatened to erupt. "Wish we could be alone. In a big, warm, soft bed... coffee brewing in the kitchen, and the radio on."

"Just the bed will do." And privacy. Kili liked everyone well enough, but there had been times when he had wished they would just disappear, particularly frequently on the day after Fili and he had first done it—the only time they had, most frustratingly. Kili longed to explore and do it again. He nipped at Fili's bottom lip. Kili missed that too; to play and turn his brother on. "Can we really not ask Radagast for a room to ourselves if we stay for the night?"

Fili grinned. "I doubt it. His entire cabin is two rooms. And his bedroom smells like a stable."

Kili laughed. It took him one fluent motion to get himself in Fili's lap, where his hands drew him in for another kiss and he took what he could get. "Soon. You can't have me finally pop my cherry and then leave me to my own devices. Promise me soon."

Ori scraped his throat before he reappeared. "Uh, guys?"

Fili snorted out a laugh and turned pink in the dimming light. "Hi, Ori," he greeted the blond. "Has Thorin gotten any information out of Radagast yet?"

Kili smiled up at Ori. It might be that he still doubted the nature of this world and, as such, whether Ori was a product of programming or nature, but he was someone whose opinion Kili wasn't too afraid of. He did move off Fili though, and patted the ground in front of them.

"Radagast keeps insisting that we stay around for dinner. He says he will answer our questions after that. He doesn't often get visitors, and I think he's mostly trying to keep Bilbo from going so soon. But I think he can take us to Gandalf in the morning."

"I hope so," Fili agreed. Kili's mention of sleeping had reminded Fili how tired he was and a yawn split his face. Ori, who had been bitten in the leg, must have been exhausted from all the walking, but he had yet to complain. Perhaps he still felt swept away by the adventure. 

Ori sat down next to the brothers and immediately began weaving a chain of daisies from the patch nearby.

Kili watched him for awhile. Ori’s fingers were long and graceful and worked with surety. It was a peaceful action that calmed him and reminded him of when he had been young. "Tell me about your brothers?" asked he. "How are they going to respond, you think, when you come back home with so many stories?"

Ori chuckled. "Dori—he's the oldest—will be scandalized. He's always been a bit of a mother hen when it comes to my safety. But Nori—the middle one—he'll be really proud of me. I wish he were here. Seeing you two having adventures together... well, it makes me wish my brothers were here sharing this with me."

His enthusiasm was mixed with childlike hope. Together with the string of daisies, Kili just wanted to protect him. But Ori was turning out not to be in need of much help. Kili had seen him cure disease and use his healing ability to ward others and himself. Earlier, when a drizzle had caught them unawares while on the way to Radagast's home, he had demonstrated fickle mastery of a shield above their heads, which had kept them dry even if it depleted his strength. In time and with experience, that shield would be able to hold back much more.

If Ori was an NPC, a game character, Kili wouldn't have cared too much. But now he wished that he could see his brothers one day, tell them how well Ori had held his own. "That sounds like a wonderful home," he said, heartfelt. "Maybe we can find them a souvenir on the way back. I think Balin mentioned that Erebor—this world's Erebor, at least—has a great treasury that was abandoned. Bofur won't shut up about it, really."

"Why would anyone leave a treasury abandoned?" Ori wondered. "I would think the place would be constantly bombarded with thieves trying to steal what they could. Is Erebor some sort of fortress? Why hasn't the treasure all been taken?"

"The doom," Kili said. Dwalin had told him about it. "It's where we think the solution to the Blight is, which is why we have to go there."

"So, let me see if I follow." Ori wiped bits of dirt and discarded leaves from his lap. "The doom is a living thing? It's in Erebor and no one can get in?"

"I don't know what it is, really. But it's in Erebor. Gandalf might help us figure out what it means. And I'm going to be honest to you, Thorin doesn't want to take us there if he can help it. There's an, uh, dragon."

"Dragons aren't real," Ori stated resolutely. "Dori says it's just something fathers tell their children during bedtime stories."

Fili chuckled. "Ori, after what you're encountered the past few days, I would think you'd believe that anything's possible."

Kili nodded strongly, testing the waters and leaning into Fili by half an inch. He did not intend to tell Ori about Fili and he, but he longed to stop living in the shadows. "Like I said, Thorin doesn't want to go there. Which is why we need Gandalf. We could be missing something, or, in the worst case, Gandalf could help us understand what we're up against."

Ori considered this, then nodded. "I'll go with you," he smiled. "If you'll have me."

"Yes," Fili agreed readily, "of course we will."

Ori held up a finger in warning. "But I have to know the answer to a question, first."

Kili inclined his head. "What is it?" They needed his healing abilities, all three knew that. Oin was skilled and strong, yet his legs were making him slower. Any sudden action would take him long to respond. And Kili wasn't gaining any strength; he wouldn't make it to level fifty in these woods. Perhaps taking up more of a supportive role would be better for him—even if he just wanted to be by Fili's side.

"Are you two really brothers?" Ori asked, surprising them both. "Because you don't act like brothers. You act as if you are in love."


	13. Animal Magnetism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Radagast decides upon a method to get everyone to Laketown. A surprise visitor shows up.

_Previously…_

"Are you two really brothers?" Ori asked, surprising them both. "Because you don't act like brothers. You act as if you are in love." 

_Now…_

Fili's eyes went immediately to Kili's. "Well, Ori, you're right about that. We—" 

"We're both…" said Kili, who was worrying his lip as he turned to Ori. His hand clutched Fili's for strength. It helped that this wasn't their world; should they be stuck, they could always say that it was acceptable in their own, and if they did make it out, no harm would be done. In his real life, Kili would never have come forward like that, and knowing that Dwalin knew had frightened him, because Dwalin could make things difficult if they all made it back. "I love him very much, Ori, but we have to hide it. Not everyone would understand it—or accept it." 

This seemed to satisfy Ori's curiosity, and he nodded. "I personally can't imagine it. My brothers are just so... " He shuddered and chuckled. "Heh, just _no._ But if they looked like you two, I could easily understand the attraction. The way you two act—the devotion you have to one another—it makes me want that too." 

"You don't mind it?" Kili wondered. He had no doubt that here in this place, the love between brothers did not extend this far. Then there was the part where they were both men. If the cities reminded them of the Middle Ages, then perhaps customs did, too. "I—thank you." 

Ori blushed. "Mind it? No... not at all. I'm drawn to it—to watching you." The fact that he had said that out loud made Ori even more flustered, and he got to his feet. "I've never met anyone like the two of you before," the redhead told them. "It's been a really exciting week for me." 

With that, he spun on his heels and went back into Radagast's cottage. 

Fili's blue eyes were full of mirth. "He likes to _watch,_ " he said solemnly, then burst into laughter. 

"Of all the things to say." Kili's face was alive with amusement and joy. "He didn't judge us though, did you notice? It's so weird, to find out that not everyone shares the opinion of our father. Well," he shrugged, "that makes me feel rather more bold than I should be." 

Fili reached over to caress his cheek. "I was hoping you might say something like that." 

"You were?" Kili studied him with interest. "Is it that you like the idea?" 

"Of Ori watching us?" Now it was Fili's turn to blush. "No, _no,_ " he corrected. "I mean... well, I guess it means we need to be a little more careful. He's rather impressionable, I think." Fili leaned back against the tree and considered this. " _I'd_ want to watch us, though." 

Kili went for another kiss, hidden in their privacy behind the house. "I'd want to watch you. If I could do something about it later, I mean. How much longer do you think we have until they'll come looking for us?" 

Fili cast a glance at the cottage. "I'm more concerned about what's out here—about who or what might be looking at us right now. I don't want to get caught with my pants down. Do you?" He was smiling, but the tautness around his mouth belied his concern. 

Kili shivered when he considered more spiders, and he withdrew from their closeness. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you," said he. "I promised you I'd protect you, but then we nearly died. If anything would have happened to you here, Fee, I’d take my chance and see if I could find you in the other life. And now we might be headed for a dragon. I don't get why we're the only people able to take care of it, but it seems we are. I really wish we weren't." 

"I have my suspicions." Fili bit his lip, trying not to think about the spiders. "I think it's because we're from the outside. But beyond that, there's not much logic to it. I can remember that when Dwalin and Thorin were designing the game, they talked about some sort of ancestral home—a kingdom inside a mountain—and Thorin remarked on how badly he'd like to have something like that to bequeath to you and me. He didn't know I was listening. But what if," Fili spoke earnestly, "with this game being as sentient as it seems to be, the game somehow _knew?_ " 

"You mean it responds to our wishes? Our imaginations?" Kili considered that. "So logically, those stories we had about building huts in the trees and the land that was swallowed by the sea...?" 

"And our fears, like the spiders," Fili shuddered. "All of it. It's in our heads, playing on our darkest fears, but catering to our wildest whims." 

"Are you saying this is a physiological world? That none of it is actually real? Maybe... no, that's ridiculous, never mind. We need to get out of here, Fee." 

"I don't know what I'm saying, Kili." Fili's eyes grew noticeably darker. "I'm terrified that we might never see home again. I'm worried that we're dreaming. Or stuck, or dead, or... God, I just don't know. I hate not knowing." 

"Then we face what we need to face," Kili stated, convinced if not concerned. "We go to Gandalf in the morning and we deal with a dragon if we have to. We're going to get stronger, or smarter, but we're going to survive whatever it takes. Come on, we need food and then a word with Radagast." He stood up, dusted off his breeches and readjusted his bow, before helping Fili up. 

The company was still on half-finished cups of cold tea. Bofur had tried pouring his into a pot nearby when nobody saw, only to have been presented with a new cup because he had liked it so much. Radagast was working in the kitchen, being interrupted all the time by Bombur disagreeing with his choices of spice. 

When at last dinner was served on a large slab of wood suspended from the ceiling by coarse rope, both the wizard and the gourmet were agitated but proud. None of the others cared; food was food, and the scarcity of the woods made it that their stomachs growled. 

Fili, who had never been a voracious eater, found himself famished. Even though the vegetables had a musty, cabbagy smell, and the meat was foreign to him—he tried hard not to think about what the source might be—he ate well. And once his belly was full, it was hard to concentrate on the conversation around the table, especially with Kili's warm thigh pressed against his own. 

"Radagast," Thorin leaned forward, elbows on the table, "I understand you might be able to help us find Gandalf." 

"What? Oh, yes, yes!" The man in question looked a bit disoriented, which was presumably caused by him smoking his pipe ever since being given the weed for it three hours ago. His mouth tugged up in a drowsy smile. "Tomorrow, I promised you that. I can't say if he's home of course, he's away all the time, but it shouldn't be hard to get you through the woods if we stick to the road. I know just the rabbits for that. They know it by heart, see. Maybe a few hours if we don't run into you-know-who." 

"Did he say _rabbits?_ " Fili whispered to his tablemates, growing increasingly drowsy from the smoke of Radagast's pipe. 

"I think so," Ori answered. "I wonder if they are as big as the spiders." 

"Why not ask?" opted Bilbo, who was sitting next to Ori and overheard. "He's rather proud of them, and he'd love to tell you." 

"Hm, tell me what?" Radagast wasn't paying attention to his own conversation, picking up noises everywhere. His thoughts strayed to the bird nest in a nook of the roof, then to the mice scuttling around his feet, and eventually to the conversation between Fili and Ori. "My rabbits? Ah, yes, wonderful creatures. Fast as the wind, and they'll take you if they like you. Not quite spider size, thank goodness." 

"So, we _ride_ them, then?" Ori asked. 

Fili grinned at the imagined sight Ori riding on a bunny. 

Radagast spluttered. "Oh! No, no, that would be a bit ridiculous. We take the carriage, of course!" 

While the rest of them were mulling that over, Gimli suddenly piped up, "I claim the front seat!" 

"Is there a front seat?" 

"Um." 

Everyone turned to Radagast. 

"Well, see. Um, right. I'm not used to transporting groups like yours. There are at most four seats. Taking you there will take me half a day; taking _all_ of you would be four." 

"You're a wizard, right?" Dwalin postulated. "Can't you just teleport us or something?" 

Radagast thrust a finger in the air. "Wizards are bound to the laws of nature just the same! I could get you to a natural portal like the one in the elm, but I can't craft one out of thin air, I'm afraid. And the closest portal is in a place I would not send you. Rabbits are much safer. What is four days on a lifetime?" 

"I suppose that depends," Fili whispered to his brother, "on whether or not our bodies are still alive somewhere." Another yawn split his face. 

"You look exhausted, Fili." Thorin turned to his nephew. 

Fili blushed, suddenly under the scrutiny of the entire household. Even the hedgehogs were watching. One hopped onto his shoulder and nuzzled his hair with its nose. Then it sneezed. 

The action warmed Kili's heart to the point of laughing. He quickly pretended not to be too affected by his brother and the adorable creature when everyone proceeded to look at him. "He's right. I could do with some sleep as well, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Radagast, is there a place he can sleep?" 

"You'll all want to stay indoors here with me tonight," the wizard proclaimed. "I've got charms up around the perimeter to keep the less savory creatures of the forest at bay." 

By now the hedgehog had climbed into Fili's lap and the blond was tentatively petting it. "I think he likes me," he said with a smile. 

Bofur leaned closer to watch. "Oh, it likes you all right," he said. "Careful or you'll end up with a prickly animal companion. Here." He offered his fur-lined cloak for the hedgehog to sleep on. "For you as well. We'll be more quiet if you want to catch some sleep." The house had no extra quarters but the one, which meant very little privacy, and hay for a mattress. It still beat sleeping on the forest floor. Then he addressed the wizard. "Does that mean the company is split in two while we travel? How many rabbits do you have? What if we made sleds?" 

"My team has eight rabbits," Radagast told them all. "And they're quite adept at pulling a sledge with one or two humans on it. I wouldn't want to burden them down with more than three or four dwarves. Maybe two, in his case," he hooked a thumb in Bombur's direction, which was followed by a groan of protest. 

"I'm in no way trying to usurp Thorin's leadership," Ori spoke up, "but it's come to my attention that the reason you all need to see Gandalf is to help you get _home._ If only five of you need to get there, they should be the ones you take." 

"It's not that." Kili wished that it was. "We don't know if we _can_ get home. It seems to be related to the Blight, which affects us all. How long have these spiders been in the woods?" 

"A week, a little more," said Radagast. "What is this Blight you keep mentioning?" 

Thorin lowered his head. "The cities are overrun by a plague of undead. I recovered Kili when he was turned nine days ago. We've been on our way ever since. Things have changed. We're no longer recovering from injuries as easy as we did, and dead is truly dead." 

"Well, of course it is." 

"Not for a few years now," Gloin spoke up. "You could kill an animal and it would return in days." 

"Why on Earth would you kill an animal?" It was beyond Radagast's comprehension. He looked at the hedgehog in Fili's lap, one of his many small friends, and shivered. "But you're right. Things were growing back last couple of years. I've lost dear friends in the last days, but they haven't returned." 

Fili smiled down fondly at the hedgehog in his lap. As if sensing Fili's attention upon it, the creature looked up at him and blinked lazily, contently, and snuggled down. Fili felt a tug on his heartstrings. 

"But Radagast," Bombur reminded him, "we had meat for dinner." 

Radagast just rolled his eyes, as if the answer were obvious. 

"I've been here over a year," Thorin told the company. "Waiting a few more days to get to my destination won't kill me." 

"We'll all go." Balin was adamant about that. "I will not consider leaving anyone behind in these woods, with only dangerous places to return to. We leave in the morning. It's best if we pick a balanced selection of people, but, we've only got two people who can heal. Some of us will have to travel without one." 

"I'll not travel without my brother," Gloin huffed at once. 

Thorin pinched the bridge of his nose and looked around the company. "And you'll not want to travel without your son either. That's one group decided then." 

"I won't leave Fili," Kili saw his chance. 

"I won't either!" Ori interjected at once. 

In the end, Thorin was powerless to see the groups coming together before him. They were poorly balanced and would cause unnecessary risks, but he knew he wouldn't be able to rearrange anything. What surprised him the most was that Bilbo offered to come along, claiming that he had not seen the hills and fields outside the woods for too long and might see what had become of his home in the Shire—a place in the opposite direction of where they were headed.   
"It'll be an adventure," Bilbo had insisted. "I've been in these woods for too long. I'll be in the last group though; my dear friend and I have some catching up to do." 

All Fili remembered of that conversation was the growing din of their voices and wondering why Ori would want to go with him and Kili instead of someone higher level like Dwalin or Gloin. He had accepted Bofur's fur lined cloak and lay it in a quiet—and mostly clean—corner, where he curled up with the little hedgehog. The creature, which Radagast told him was called Pepin, curled up next to his head, a fine buffer for the noise. When Kili lay down beside him later, he was sound asleep. 

When he awoke, it was to the sound of Ori chewing on an apple, sitting along the wall next to him and Kili. 

"You slept a long time," the redhead observed. 

"This is the first time I've actually felt safe since I got here," Fili confessed. 

"Here being Radagast's home, or the woods?" Ori offered him a green apple, but made sure that his friend wouldn't have to move. Two more hedgehogs had found their way onto his cloak pillow during the night. By the looks of it, they were family. "Radagast left with the first group about an hour ago. Thorin is with them. He said he could talk to Gandalf, figure out if the wizard can help. It's no use if we follow and he can't. Slept well?" 

Fili nodded. "Yeah, I did," he admitted. He was a bit sore from having to sleep on the floor, but he figured he had it better than most of them. At least he'd had Bofur's cloak and the hedgehogs for comfort. "What's with these hedgehogs?" he chuckled. 

"You have animal magnetism," Ori nodded sagely. "That's what my brother Dori would say." 

Fili smiled to himself. When he had created his character, he had put a few points into the trait Animal Magnetism. Obviously, it was working. 

"Who went with Thorin?" Fili wondered, looking around the cluttered room. 

"Dwalin, Balin. They didn't want to all go together, but with Gloin and his family, and that of Bofur, just as Bilbo wanting to stick around a while, there wasn't much choice." Ori peeked at Kili, who lay rolled up against Fili like he was one of the hedgehogs. "About that animal magnetism..." 

"We shared a bed when we were little," Fili explained lamely. 

Ori wasn't buying it. "He's cute when he sleeps." 

"That he is," Fili agreed. 

"I'll never find anyone who loves me like he loves you," Ori said with an air of finality. 

"Of course you will!" Fili exclaimed. "Ori, you're... you're brilliant, and funny, and really handsome." 

"You think I'm handsome?" Ori smoothed down some unruly hair. 

Fili nodded. "You are." 

"Oh, would you two shut _up_ over there!" Bofur muttered. "You'll give the lad a big head. And he's already got quite a sizable melon on him!" 

Ori suddenly found his hands mighty interesting, and an awkward silence ascended. "I've never had an, um, boyfriend," he admitted, quietly so as to keep their conversation private. "If I liked someone, Dori would get impossible. Nori too, but Nori likes to try and get me to run away in the night and vow not to come back until early morning. I spent a whole night outside to appease him, only to have him even more impossible because he thought I had spent a night with someone else. Seeing you, it's really nice. I'd like to have that, some day." 

"The world is big. There are lots of people you haven't met yet," Fili encouraged him around a mouthful of apple. "I think the secret is to just go about your life and do the things you enjoy, and eventually you'll meet someone who enjoys the same things you do." 

Next to him, one of the smaller hedgehogs popped up its head, begging for a piece of apple. Fili cut off a small slice using one of the small daggers in his vest, and handed it to the critter with an amused smile. "I wish you could come home with us." It was out of Fili's mouth before he considered the implications. 

Ori opened his mouth and closed it again, and in the background Gimli shifted closer out of curiosity. "To Kalefonia? Across the ocean? But I've—I've got to tell my brothers about that. I can't up and leave until I have. What is it like?" 

"California," Fili couldn't help but smile. "It's where I've lived for the past six years. Where I live, it's not very exciting, really. Just a bunch of buildings, offices and stores. But there's a beach not far away, and mountains. Deserts too. All within driving distance. I meant to get out and do more exploring, but it never seemed like much fun without Kili, so I mostly stayed at Thorin's house or went to work." 

Ori chuckled. "You still do that, use words I've not heard before and make them appear ordinary where you're from. Like offices, and driving. Do you mean riding a horse, or a wagon?" He got up and gestured he'd be right back, padding to the table in the center of the room to fetch two glasses of milk. "Now, be warned that this isn't regular milk. I think I saw him make it out of nuts?" He wrapped his arms around his legs. "So now all we do is wait." 

Fili took a tentative sip from the wooden mug. The milk was nutty, but sweet. Radagast certainly had odd taste. It made him wonder again what the strange meat from the night before had been. 

_Spider._

The thought entered his mind like a poking finger and his stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch and he felt queasy. He made a mental note not to eat any more of it. Pepin waddled over and onto his lap, as if he knew Fili needed comforting. 

"Radagast says we're safe here, inside his home," Ori assured Fili, thinking that the look on his face had come from concern. "And we really only need to go outside to use the privvy." 

Fili nodded. "What else did he leave us to eat?" he wondered, eyes roving over a sizable rack of jars he suspected contained herbs and leaves—and not food. 

"Uh, I don't... I don't think he did. He will probably bring berries and nuts on his way back, won't he? Maybe Gandalf has something for us?" 

Bombur sat himself down next to them and patted his knees loudly—he stopped when he noticed someone was still asleep. "You were talking about food? I heard food." 

Pepin chittered and stuck his head up, sniffing the air. With a gleeful grunt, he leapt off Fili's lap and onto Bombur's, where he immediately began eating bits of dropped honeycomb out of the lower parts of Bombur's massive braided beard. Fili wasn't sure if he should be amused of disgusted, and was a confused mixture of both. 

"It's a long round trip," Fili reminded Ori. "We might have to find some food for ourselves." 

Ori shook his head firmly. "I'm not getting back into those woods. There's spiders, and Bilbo says it's the realm of the woodland king. He doesn't sound nice. Maybe an apple tree or a bush nearby? Bombur, where did you get that honey?" 

Bombur huffed and puffed. "Nowhere." 

Fili chuckled. "I think Radagast keeps bees. I believe I saw a small apiary out back. And he's got a garden. We can probably make do with that, if the Blight hasn't gotten to it. We can investigate when Kili wakes up." 

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Ori looked from Fili to Bombur and back again. He reached for his staff. "Radagast said he wouldn't be back before sunset." Whoever it was did not wait, but pushed the door open in a slow creaking manner. "Hello? Is anyone home?" 

Kili opened his eyes. He knew that voice. "...Mom?" 

"Mom?!" Fili hurriedly got to his feet, for there, indeed, stood Dis. The familiar wash of shame that inevitably came over him each time he saw her now was replaced with awe—for Dis was magnificent. 

Dis' long, dark hair was braided in a single, thick plait that lay over one shoulder. She wore a matched set of chainmail of a metal so pure it seemed nearly white to their eyes. A shield was slung over her back over her cloak, and a scepter with intricate carving hung by her side. 

While Kili ran to his mother and hugged her tightly, Fili held back, wishing he could hide himself behind Ori and Bombur. "Mom, what are you doing here?" he asked, when his voice came to him. 

"...I have as little idea about that as you," said she, walking in under the scrutiny of all of the company as she inspected the house. "Kili went missing a few days ago. I searched everywhere, as did the police. He just seemed to have disappeared playing his new game. So I signed on, hoping that maybe someone online would know more." Tears were shimmering in the corner of her eyes. "Oh, come here, let me look at you. I thought I would never see you again." 

_A few days ago?_ Fili wondered to himself. He and Kili had been here nearly three weeks, hadn’t they? But then, time seemed to be different here in Middle Earth.

She moved up to Fili after having examined Kili and discovering that he was alive and well—she'd have to talk to him about his tangled hair later—and breathed out the breath she had been holding. "You've grown." 

Fili nodded haltingly, not meeting her eyes. "I think it's my avatar. Makes me look bigger than I really am," he smiled shyly. "We got the game from Balin. He works with Uncle Thorin. Mom, Thorin's _here!_ " he told her. 

"Kili's the right size," she smiled. "I figured. The game made me fill in my name and before I knew it, I was given all sorts of upgrades. How are you? Have you been in here all along? You haven't been able to get out either, have you?" Dis tipped Fili's head up by the chin. "Where is he now? I need to have a serious word with him." 

_He left a couple hours ago on a sled pulled by giant rabbits,_ Fili wanted to tell her. He just chuckled. "He, uh... left. With Dwalin, Balin and a wizard named Radagast. They're trying to find Gandalf, who's supposed to be able to help us all get home." 

Bombur's eyes were wide with appreciation as he studied Dis. "My lady," he bowed to her, reaching out for her hand, which he kissed upon accepting it. Ori rolled his eyes. "Mom, this is Bombur, Bofur, Bifur and Ori. Over there's Oin, Gloin. The boy's Gimli." 

Gimli stood up and hurried to Dis to be given the same courtesy as Bombur had. "A warrior, Lady Dis," he rectified. "At your service." He glowered at Fili and Kili. "You didn't tell me your mother is a renowned knight!" 

"I'm a paladin, actually," she explained, blushing in a manner similar to the way Fili blushed. "I tank, heal and buff. Although I have to be honest... when I logged in, I was automatically level 50. And I had a beautiful horse waiting for me. On the way here, things would move as if they wanted to attack me, but when they got too close, they'd just turn around as if they'd changed their minds." 

"God mode," Fili whispered in admiration. "Thorin put your account in god mode. Wish he'd have done that for us," he muttered. 

"I still had a hard time tracking you down though," she laughed, all too glad to be united with her sons again. "That forest was awful. Now, I'd really get back out of here. Where did you say Thorin was headed?" 

Kili cleared his throat. He awkwardly came up to them, and touched his mother on the shoulder again just to verify she was real. Gimli, as well as most of the others, were still too much in awe to do more than gape. "This wizard?" he tried. "Maybe, if you're here and you say creatures won't attack you, we could all head there after Radagast returns? It would be safe, wouldn't it?" 

"Last night, when they were talking," Fili told her, "Thorin said there's a castle full of treasure guarded by a dragon. He says the treasure belongs to our family. But... how is that possible?" he said, so that the other could not hear. "This is only a game, right? I mean, how could our family have anything to do with this pretend world?" 

Dis sat back and studied her eldest son. "Your uncle is sending you to a dragon?! To get out of here?! Step outside with me for a bit. Kili, you too." 

They were followed by big eyes, until the door shut and privacy was returned to them—so long as they didn't speak too loud. Dis, who knew that at least the young redhead would be listening behind that door, walked them further to a safe distance. There she found an apple tree and sat down. "Don't worry, nothing attacks me," she smiled dourly. "I'm level fifty, but I haven't had the chance to test my sword once. What? I've played tabletops in my day; don't look at me like I know nothing about your games. What I want to know is, what happened to you two?" 

"Balin gave me two copies of the game," Fili told his mother. "He told me to send one to Kili, so I did. We began playing together. We were playing a game, and then it stopped being one. But I couldn't pinpoint exactly when that happened. Then, we learned that Balin, Dwalin and Thorin were here as well—and so were some others from Erebor Software." 

Their mother looked at them both. For all they cared, she might have stopped listening after the first few sentences. "...I thought we agreed you would keep your communication to a minimum. Kili, you never told me about playing a game with your brother." 

And, just like that, the moment was lost. The years suddenly fell away. They had gone from a brief, exciting few moments as equals with their mother, back to being reminded of the perversion of their relationship with one another. 

Fili's eyes fell to the forest floor. "He's been good," Fili said quietly. "He's done everything you've asked of him. We both have." 

Kili grabbed his hand. "I'm not leaving him," he whispered in a sudden surge of courage. "I'd rather stay in this life if it's with him, than return home and never see him again. He's my brother. It's not right to keep him from me." He crumbled when their mother looked at them, but he wouldn't loosen his grip. "We've been punished enough." 

"Kili..." she started. "Kili, was it true?" But Kili remained quiet, his eyes trained on the floor in the same way as his brother. He meant it, too. He would take Fili and run into the woods, disappear, if it meant they wouldn't be torn apart a second time. 

Fili wanted to shake her and shout at her. _Of course it was true!_ But she wasn't asking him. Whatever Kili said now could determine the course of the rest of their lives. He squeezed Kili's hand as if it were the only thing keeping him from tumbling over. 

"Well?" Dis' blue eyes studied them both, coming to rest on Kili. 

The hope that Fili would answer, however fleeting to begin with, left Kili. He searched for a way to avoid answering, but he knew that this was it. All the years in which they had lived a lie were in the past—he couldn't go back to his old life and live with himself if he told his mother not to worry now, yet the other scenario frightened him just the same. Unconsciously he created a bigger space between them, while he cast his eyes down. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." 

Desperate for Dis to understand, Fili added, "We knew for a long, time, Mom. Back when we were teenagers." 

"...Your father was right. I told him he was being ridiculous, but he was right." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "You've been lying to me the whole time." 

"We didn't want to," whispered Kili, who was terrified that she'd get up and leave them here in these woods to fend for themselves. "I hated it. But I...I love him, Mom. I didn't plan to, but I do. I'm so sorry." 

"You forced us to lie," Fili said softly, "because you didn't want to hear the truth."


	14. I Don't Want to go to the Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dis expresses her concerns about Fili and Kili's relationship. Laketown turns out to be a bit disappointing.

"Fili," Kili shook his head, "don't say that. I lied because we'd never see each other again, not at Christmas, not ever, but don't blame Mom for the things I had to say. The truth would have hurt her. She's still our mother, and we already lost one parent." 

Kili longed to hold Fili in his arms and ignore that the rest of the world still existed, but all he could do was hold onto his hand while Dis took another step back. She was practically shimmering now, the arcane responding to her fluctuating emotions. Kili recognized rage alongside helplessness. Loss. All the things a child should never witness in a parent. He bit on the inside of his cheek. "You've listened to me lie for years,” he told her. “I promise I won't do it anymore, but if you need me to go right now, I'd understand." 

"Go?!" When she turned around, she was crying. 

"I uh—go inside," Kili responded weakly. "Not _go_ , go." 

"You're in love with your own brother!" 

"...Yes." Kili lacked the words to express how impossible it had been to forget about Fili, or to turn his eyes to someone else—how they were two magnetic poles that would remain linked to each other because of all the laws of nature applied to the bond between the two of them. He lacked the words to question why it was acceptable for childhood friends to become lovers, having been around each other all their lives, but not brothers, because of their blood. And he certainly could not express the discrepancy between their parents having thought it adorable when Fili had come back from summer camp as a kid and they had both missed each other so much that they had been inseparable in the days that followed, and their response to the same situation years later. Instead, Kili rubbed at his eyes and withdrew himself from the conversation. 

"I never meant to be such a disappointment," Fili told their mother. "I tried so hard, but you let this—," he waved a hand back and forth aimlessly as if to sum up his entire relationship with Kili, "—define me. Define _us._ " He took a few steps closer to his mother, pulling Kili along. "I will always take care of him, Mom. Isn't that what you want for us? To be happy? To be cherished?" 

She looked between them with a confused heart. "But it's wrong," whispered she. "I raised you two. You grew up together." 

"This isn't your fault," Fili told her what he thought might make her feel better. "It's just how it is. We're okay. We're better together. We always have been." 

"...Can we talk about something else?" Fili and Kili could tell that the news was about to overwhelm her. "I need time for this. And you, Kili, you have a lot of making up to do for all the lies you've been telling me. Don't think I'm forgiving you for that yet!" 

Kili ducked his head. He wished they could talk about something else just as much. She wasn't however livid with them as he had expected her to be. They were still in one piece. With her magnificent armor and staggering levels, their mother had a number of extra ways to punish them. "I uh," he mumbled, "I suppose we should tell you more about this place, since you're stuck in it now too. Sorry about that. Did you start in the city too?" 

The shimmering aura around their mother had subsided, which made both Kili and Fili a great deal less nervous. 

"I started at the city right after the tutorial," Dis told them. "It was deserted, ransacked." 

"We started there too." Fili told her. "The city was vibrant and bustling when we started playing, but within forty-eight hours, it was destroyed. And there were zombies. We picked up party members along the way. A lot of them really believe that they live here in Middle Earth. I certainly can't tell the difference, and I'm not about to try to convince them otherwise." 

Kili nodded. "There was a man named Legolas—I think that's his real name as well, since we couldn't pick our own character names either—who was from the military. We lost him in the woods. He found his friend and stuck with her. Thorin says that all the changes are called the 'Blight' and that we have to fix that if we're—" Kili stopped and gaped. "Hold on! When we talked about Thorin, you weren't surprised! He's been missing for years! I thought I'd never see him again until he found me here." 

"Kili, your uncle... is terrible with maps, as well as considering other people's feelings when a project has caught his fancy. He's gone missing several times, actually. He always manages. I didn't think anything of it." 

"Are you saying," Fili finally shook off the last of the sleep lingering in his system, "that Thorin's been here before? That he planned to have us all be here too?" 

She chuckled, a little out of her depth. "No, that he's always been an irresponsible ass who went hiking or whatever without informing anyone about his plans. That we're all here, that is bad luck." 

Fili sighed in relief, glad that he wasn't part of some grand experiment on the part of Erebor Software. "The man who owns this house," he told her, "he has a really fast sled pulled by rabbits... but he could only take a few of us at a time. Thorin wanted to go first." 

"Can I help?" asked Dis. Her horse, for reasons unknown to her, kept reappearing when she needed him to, even when she thought she had lost her steed forever. "My Svartfax can carry up to three people, if they're small. One if it's that—," she gestured a large circumference around her waist, "—specific friend." 

Kili shook his head and smiled. He hadn't smiled with his mother for a long time, while she had always been a person with a generous laugh. "We need to see if Uncle Thorin comes back first. All we can do is stay around the house and wait for them. It's too dangerous in the woods." 

"All day? You two?" 

"I know. I'm bored, Mom." 

"...Have you ever ridden a horse before? Not, I mean, that pony when you were six. Through the woods, in a gallop?" 

"We rode partway here," Fili told her, "but we had to leave the horses when we got to the woods. The path was too narrow. It's a good thing we did, or the spiders…" He stopped talking, knowing he'd already let too much slip. 

Dis gave him a pitying look and sighed. "The spiders. I'm so sorry, I came across them on my way." She knew, as a mother always knows about her children's weaknesses. "I had hoped that maybe..." But she cut herself short—Kili and Fili had undoubtedly learned how it felt to be astride a galloping horse. Her own steed, mighty as he was, would not bring them distraction. "Well, we're here now," she said. "Show me what you've learned. I can see that you have." 

She encouraged them both to show her their weaponry and to wield it in a sparring match that both were reluctant to participate in, until they all reverted to dead twigs as weapons and the worst injury they could get was a tap on the head. Kili displayed his skills with the bow, whereas Fili was a whirlwind of movement around the encumbered paladin. 

By the time they were all exhausted, noon had come and gone and the smell of something good wafted from the chimney. 

"I guess Bombur found something to cook." Fili's eyes flitted briefly to his mother. "I wish there were somewhere to take a bath," he lamented to Kili. "Somewhere _private_ ," he added, almost inaudibly. Fili's hair was soaked with sweat. He longed to take off his jerkin and run around shirtless until he had cooled off. But not with Dis scrutinizing their every move. 

He gave Kili's hand a covert squeeze as he entered the house. "Smells good," he smiled at Bombur. "What have you made?" 

"We made soup," said Ori. "It smells good, but to be honest, we don't know half the ingredients he's put in there. There was something with mold..." 

"Mushrooms!" Bombur corrected indignantly. "Highly nutritious, and very tasty! You've never had mushrooms before?" 

He continued to harass Ori until Ori have in and tried some of the soup. 

All afternoon, Gimli kept his eyes on Dis like he wanted to ask her something but didn’t have the courage to. Kili had challenged Fili to a bet about whether he would do it today. Later, bored with waiting inside the house of a man who had no concept of entertainment and consequently nothing to do, he had fashioned a game out of sticks and stones. He was still figuring out the rules with Ori and Bifur, who did not say much but was an expert at gesturing good and bad, when the door opened and Radagast returned. 

Thorin, Dwalin and Balin weren't with him. "So?" Gloin started. "Did you find the wizard?" 

"Aye," Radagast, looking rather windblown from the trip, told them. "They're with him now, in Laketown, in sight of your ancestral home." 

"How do you have an ancestral home if you don't even live here?" Ori whispered to Fili, who shrugged. 

"My lady," Radagast bowed to Dis, who did look very impressive in her armor. "Based on your regal bearing, I think you can only be the sister of Thorin Oakenshield." 

"That asshole," she muttered. "Steals my two sons away from me, gets me a fifty pound sword to carry around, then disappears. I'm going on the next ride, and he's going to hear of it." 

Fili didn't want to be the one to remind her that it was she and Nali who had sent Fili away, and that Dis had not logged into the game at gunpoint. Technically, it wasn't Thorin's fault that she was here. He was not going to tell her that though. Not when she had _that look_ in her eyes. 

"Having you here will only make defeating the Blight easier," Radagast assured her. "I can tell already that you are a very powerful paladin." 

"Happy accident," she grinned, and stuck her hand out. "Dis. You must be the wizard of the house. So, when do we leave?" 

"Mom," Kili groaned, "not tonight." 

Radagast laughed. He was already flitting about in his house, gathering ingredients for dinner. The animals that had hidden during the day were again reappearing, which entailed a group of three hedgehogs shuffling happily up to Fili. "Not tonight, I'm afraid. I'm an old man, as I'm sure you understand. We ride at dawn. Gandalf is doing well, given that it's election time in Laketown and he chooses to remain there until all of us have made it. Dreadful time of the year to be in that place, absolutely dreadful. And it's a town of humans. If I am to smuggle more of you dwarves in, we're going to need someone from out of town." 

"We rolled as dwarves because the human model wasn't ready yet," Fili told his mother. "We could only choose between elves and dwarves." 

"Too bad Legolas left us," Bofur chimed in. "With a hat on, he could pass for human." 

"Ah, the elf. Thorin said he might be with King Thranduil as we speak. I'm afraid we won't be seeing him again, then. Never leaves his underground realm, that one." Radagast clapped his hands. "Beets! Yes, what a lovely dinner, beets it'll be! Come, Anna, Sebastian, we've got work to do." 

As the company watched Radagast get to work, Kili whispered to Fili, slack-jawed, "It's like we're in a Disney movie." All of the animals in the household were helping along; even the ants were carrying grains up into a bowl of bark. It shouldn't surprise them after all they had seen, yet it still did. 

That night, they enjoyed a surprisingly good meal of soup, beets and potatoes, while they prepared to join the others in Laketown.

\- - - - - 

It had been raining every day of the week since Thorin had arrived in Laketown, and the dour conditions were beginning to affect his mood. Even Dwalin' presence could not raise his spirits. His mood plunged further at the appearance of his sister.

Dis had insisted Kili and Fili be the ones to accompany her. Thorin knew why; she didn't feel they could be trusted left to their own devices. And she was right, of course. One thing Thorin had learned growing up is that his sister was _always_ right. 

All he had learned in the space of that week was that Gandalf, while he may have been a powerful wizard, did not have the power to simply wave his staff and send them home. 

"Here you go, then," Dwalin came up next to Thorin at the window he'd been gazing out of morosely, and handed him a flagon of mead. 

In the room next to theirs, Gloin and his family were housed; two houses down the street were the rest of Thorin's family, along with Bofur, Bofur and Bombur. Laketown was incomparable to the large city where Thorin had found Kili, with its many inns and many markets. Here, people looked at him twice whenever he crossed the street. He was always watched. 

"So, the dragon," Thorin sighed. "I knew it from the moment I heard of it. Smaug. I can't believe anyone designed him, but I know his name. The Blight was supposed to be a white dragon from the North, not a dormant treasure hoarder like Smaug. Is it wrong not to want to go, Dwalin? I fear for us if we take up that challenge." 

"But, Thorin," Dwalin put a solid hand on Thorin's mid-back, "the alternative to doing nothing is staying here in Middle Earth forever. Do you want that for your nephews and sister?" 

The support was welcome, but Thorin's eyes remained fixed on the misty mountain in the distance. It looked cold and quiet. None would guess it to be the keep of a dragon. "I want them to have a choice. If they want to stay, that's not up to us. But we should tell them soon, what exactly this place is. If nobody goes, then that dragon can stay there for all I care. At least until we're strong enough." He sighed and shook his head, but before he could say more, a knock drew their attention. 

"Thorin? Dwalin?" Bilbo. "I brought you soup from dinner." When no reply came, he added, "I'll just leave it here on the doorstep, okay?" The scrape of earthen bowls on wooden boards sounded, then footsteps leading away. 

"You should get that," Thorin murmured, distracted by his frustration. 

"Not just yet." Dwalin's breath was hot on the shell of his ear, and strong arms encircled his waist from behind. Slowly, surely, Dwalin kissed and nibbled along Thorin's neck, doing his best to distract his lover from a situation neither of them could change at the present time. "Lie down with me." 

Some time later, Balin returned to the room, but the tell-tale sounds of his younger brother and his boss's lovemaking had him turning around awkwardly. He picked up a bowl of lukewarm soup and took it out onto the stoop, and sat under the overhang, watching the street grow muddy with rain. 

They had been waiting for something since they got here; waiting and hiding. The human population of Laketown wasn't pleased to see dwarves, which was understandable if one but considered the history of the fisherman's village in the center of the lake, always cast in the shadow of the might of the dwarven trade city of Dale even after its downfall. Yet Balin had to admit that the general population wasn't really as bothered as the wizard would have their company believe, placing them in the reluctant care of a bargeman and father of three—all of whom were human. They might as well be in cells for the freedom they were given. 

Fabric rustled, and Ori took a seat next to him. "Is that our dinner?" he wondered. "It's a bit dreary, isn't it, this place? I keep asking Mr. Gandalf to bring me a book from the library to pass time, but all which he returns with are written in a language I can't read. When are we going to the dragon?" 

Balin raised his head and looked Ori directly in the eyes. "Are you really in such a hurry to face a dragon, lad?" He handed Ori a small, hard roll that had come with the soup. 

"Me?" Drops clung to Ori's hair when he shook it. "I'm not in a hurry at all. Thanks for the bread." He mulled it over, ducking when a pair of human legs threatened to venture close enough to see them, and broke off a small lump of the bread. "But we're hiding. What's the use of being here if we can't do anything?" 

" _We_ can't, but Gandalf can. It's a means to an end, laddie," Balin explained. "I might have a book or two in my knapsack, if you'd like something to read." 

Ori gratefully accepted the old man's offer. They ate in silence, moving out of the way if people threatened to catch sight of them. One of them, a young girl, stopped right before them and waved. They recognized her as one of the bargeman's younglings, grinning in passing by as she carried two buckets full of fish. 

"They don't look very scary, humans," Ori said. "Like us, just bigger. Why is Mr. Gandalf afraid for us? Because of the elections?" 

"No, lad." Balin crafted his response carefully. "Legend maintains that dwarves used to live inside that big mountain over there. Erebor, it's called. But a dragon came after them and their treasure—a great hoard of gold and gems. On his way to Erebor, he destroyed Laketown's sister city, Dale. The people of Laketown have never forgiven the dwarves. They blame them for the destruction, you see." 

Ori deflated with a disappointed sound. "That's hardly our fault. But I suppose I understand. I wish I could venture into the streets and learn how the people live. Dori, my brother, he would love to hear about it. Nori, my other brother, he'd probably be hooked by the story of the treasure as soon as he hears of it. He's always had a strong interest in gold. What about you? Dwalin is your brother, isn't he?" He squinted at the sun, which was still bright after layers of clouds, and the silhouette of the mountain in front of it. Winter was afoot. If they wanted to make it there, they'd best not dally in the city of men too long. 

"Why, yes, Dwalin is my brother. We have a bit of an age difference," Balin told him, "much like you and your oldest brother. When I left for college, he was still in grade school. We only became friends once he himself became an adult. Even that took time. I wish it had happened sooner." 

"He's an excellent fighter," Ori remarked. "But you're both from the other world, aren't you? You came here together. Maybe I'd like to do that too, visit another land with my brothers. We never do much together, you see. They're like parents I never had and I love them very much, but still... you know." 

"It's never too late to change that parent-child dynamic into a friendship." Balin clapped him on the shoulder firmly. "I'm living proof of that. Now, if you don't mind sitting here a bit longer to keep an old man company and tell him your life story, I'll check on that book for you after it's safe for me to return to my room." 

They spent a few hours enjoying the rainy day with shared stories and cold soup. Ori, Balin found out, was interested in everything he could find out about the world outside his doorstep. His curiosity wasn't sated when Balin said as little as he could about California, but Ori prodded and tried, and told him that he would love to visit it one day in a way that made it very hard for Balin not to tell him that he would try his best. 

Their stories halted when they saw two figures making away in the rain. "Is that...?" 

"Fili and Kili?" Balin chuckled. "Yes, lad. It seems their uncle not making an appearance is making them bold. Let's hope they won't get caught, won't we?" 

"I'm impressed they were able to slip their mother," Ori gaped. "She's a piece of work. Scary, that one. My mother baked bread and spoke to us gently. Dis doesn't really do either of those things." 

"Oh, no she doesn't," Balin chuckled a little too loudly, causing Kili to look around with caution until they were out of sight. "But they're her sons all right. Thorin used to tell me about when they climbed trees or when they played at war in the woods nearest to their home as kids. When they didn't want to be found, nobody would. Anyway, I should be mentioning this to her. They're not safe out there." He patted his legs and got up. "Let's give them a ten minute head start though." 

Ori watched after the departing brothers with a wistful smile on his face. "I like Fili and Kili very much, Mr. Balin. But if it's not safe for them, it cannot be much safer for us." He sighed. "I think we should stay here. More of us will only attract more attention." 

Before Balin could reply to that, a deep rumble shook the vestiges of the city on the lake. Water from the rain trickled with renewed mass from the rooftops, and tremors rippled the canals. From the mountain, a fog was descending into town. A murmur rose steadily in the streets. 

Fili, walking hurriedly alongside his brother, paused at the shaking and grabbed Kili's arm. "D'you suppose that was...." 

_...the dragon?_ the words remained unspoken as water splashed over them from an overfilled rain spout. 

"Ugh," Fili spluttered, lamenting, "I'm not a fan of this town.” 

Kili tugged him under the shelter of a makeshift roof of sails. They both turned up to look at the mountain, or as much as their vantage point allowed them; smoke and then the unmistakable scent of brimstone. "I thought they said the dragon was asleep. Maybe he knows we're here?" He hid further into the shadows; the men and women of Laketown were more watchful now. "I don't want to go and fight a dragon, Fee." 

"How could we possibly?" Fili bit his lip nervously. "He'd incinerate us where we stood. We can't just barge in there. Surely Gandalf has a plan. He must." 

"If he does, he should start sharing it." The mist was clearing from the streets when a second rumble deep as a rolling bass shook the slate tiles on the roof. Several loosened and clattered on the bridges and into the water. In the distance someone cried. 

Kili cursed. "We have to go back. Come with me." He took Fili's hand and started in the direction whence they came. 

Kili yanked on his brother's hand, pulling him past three men who were walking. Trying to keep his balance, Fili brushed against one of the men. 

"You bairns watch where you're going!" the stocky man bellowed. "Get home to your families." 

"Hey... those aren't wee ones," another man, carrying a fishing net surmised. "Those are dwarves!" 

Fili was now pulling Kili's hand to hurry them along. 

"There hasn't been a dwarf in these parts in over a hundred years, my mama said..." 

Fili and Kili tried to keep their heads low as they ran. When their feet took them straight back to the bargeman's house, Kili changed course. "Not yet! What if someone is following us?" He knew that they had made a grave error being spotted, although it should be the least of their concerns; smoke was again rolling through the streets, until the alleys resembled those of a sulphuric ghost town. It was getting harder to breathe. There was no way around it—they had to get up to the roofs. 

"What about Mom... the others?" Fili gasped, as Kili hurried him to climb up some sturdy spouting on the side of one of the buildings. 

Below them, pandemonium was unfolding. 

"Where'd they go?" the booming voice of the fisherman could be heard. "Do you know what the Master of Laketown would do for just one dwarf, alive?" 

"We're leading them straight to them," Kili hissed. Gandalf's care to keep them away from the men of the town finally made sense to him. He refused to end up as anyone's pet, or traded like an exotic animal—and he certainly wasn't going to allow anyone to lay their hands on Fili similarly. "Have you brought your daggers? We might have to defend ourselves." He drew Fili further up the rooftops and to the outer edge of the town. If anyone caught their scent, it was easier to flee into the lake or the surrounding woods. 

"This is crazy," Fili murmured, assured that he had at least two daggers on his belt, but not his falchions. Neither of them were wearing their armor. "We should go back to the others. There's safety in numbers, Kili." 

Kili shook his head and tugged him further. If they looked behind them, they would see the mountain coming to life with fires from the furnaces of the underground. The faint pulse of a drum throbbed so palpably that those who didn't hear it became disquiet for reasons they could not understand. 

"Later. When they stopped searching for us. This Master, I don't want to meet him." Kili stopped at a steeple that provided cover. He pulled himself and Fili into a niche, then shut the roster to hide them. The space was cramped at best, but from it they had a good view of all the things that passed. 

"I don't want to go to the mountain," Fili said almost inaudibly, squeezing Kili's hand. "But I also don't want to stay in this world forever. Being apart from you all that time... it's not nearly as bad as knowing I could lose you every day." 

Kili's eyes were on the rooftops outside when he smiled sadly. "I'd rather stay here than face that. But not if this place is going to become the zombie apocalypse, or if we meet those spiders one more time. If that goes, it's not such a bad place. It beats learning to pay off debts and be a wage slave for the rest of my life. But hush, someone is headed this way." 

"They couldn't have gone far!" came the voice of the man who'd been carrying a large basket. "Jervic saw them shimmy up the pipe." 

"Sure, but do you see them now?" the fisherman boomed. "They've moved along. Probably jumped to another rooftop and run away." 

Fili was certain the men could hear his heart thudding. He lay his forehead against Kili's, willing the men to move along. 

His brother stayed very still. Their breaths stuck in their throats as they waited for the men to leave. Worse things were happening with the mountain, which was spewing flaming stone that hissed in the waters and scorched the wet wood, which made the fixation of the fishermen on two dwarves odd—unless they thought that by finding the dwarves, they could expel the doom of the Lonely Mountain. More people were climbing up to the roofs now. Kili picked out the bargeman's family, then the man himself. None of their company however, which meant that they still had to be down in the fogs. 

Moments ticked by, the only sounds the murmuring of the crowd, and occasional cries of distress when the mountain gave out a groan and the ground below them shook. 

Fili was just beginning to think the men had moved on when the grate hiding them was ripped away. "Aha!" the fisherman boomed. "In here!" he alerted his companions, and one of his large hands moved like lightning to grasp a handful of Kili's hair to pull him out of their hiding place. 

"No!" Fili leapt up like lightning, embedding one of his daggers in the man's meaty forearm. With a howl, the fisherman released Kili, clutching the injury. "Oh, you'll _pay_ for that!" He stepped back with a gleam in his eye as his friends closed in on the brothers, who were trapped like fish in a barrel. 

"Take this!" Fili covertly handed his only remaining dagger to Kili. "They can't possibly hurt us with so many people around." 

"Gods, they're so little," one of the men marveled. He reached in to grab Fili by both his lapels and pulled him bodily from the small space. "Best fish we've caught in a long, long time."


	15. All Our Lives are Forfeit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smaug must be stopped, before the people of Laketown perish. The party runs into two unexpected dwarves in the treasure chamber.

The man's breath washed over Fili, smelling worse than a barrel full of dead fish. "Ugh," Fili groaned, turning his face away in disgust. "Do you kill the fish with your breath alone?"

"Watch it now!" the man gave Fili a shake. "We'll see if you speak to The Master of Laketown in that same tone, _dwarf!_ He'll—ow!" he cried out, dropping Fili. Something had hit him in the back of the head.

"Oy!" Ori's voice, shaking a bit, called to them, as he charged forward, readying his slingshot with another round stone. "Leave them alone!"

"Ori!" Kili cried, "get the others!" He lashed out with his dagger at any man daring to come close and moved between the men and Fili, not understanding why the men were so eager to capture them. Didn't they hate the sight of dwarves? They were rather treating them like a gift to a ruler instead of trying to kill them. Nobody was taking Fili from him though. Kili almost wished for the plague to hit this town next after they left it. The men were larger than he and Fili, but commoners; they had no experience handling a living creature other than the fish in the lake.

Glowering at the men and now weaponless, Fili got to his feet.

When Ori turned to go back down the pipe, he found his way blocked by the third fisherman. "They come in all colors, don't they?" he marveled to his companions. "And they really aren't as ugly as the old books say." He reached out to pat Ori on the head but, before he could make contact, Ori gave an indignant cry and let loose the stone in his sling. It glanced off the man's shoulder and the fisherman yelped in pain.

"You don't want to hurt us!" Fili pulled out the last card in his arsenal. "We are Fili and Kili of Durin, nephews of Thorin Oakenshield, heir to the kingdom under the mountain!"

Next to him however, his brother growled. "I'll hurt _them_ if they don't leave us alone. I've seen enough spiders and zombies to last me a lifetime. If they try, I won't hold back. We're supposed to be fighting that dragon—I'm sure we can handle a few fishermen."

"You? Take on Smaug?" the man closest to Ori laughed. "I don't care who your uncle is, you're just dwarves."

"And a wizard! Fuck you," Kili muttered.

Ori gasped. "Language!"

"Did you hear what he said?" a woman nearby spoke up. "They're of the line of Durin! They're here to kill the dragon and reclaim Erebor!" 

Cheers erupted from the nearby rooftops, silenced quickly when the ground shook again.

"So," Fili looked the biggest of the fisherman in the eye, "with that in mind, we'll be on our way."

Although several of the people now gathered around them looked like they were ready to snatch one of them away to present to the Master of the town, none touched them. Kili didn't like the people of Laketown. He steered Fili and Ori in the opposite direction of the others and swatted a man's hand away when one reached to touch Fili, in awe of seeing a dwarf for the first time.

They took a large detour and made sure they had lost anyone following before they returned to the house of the bargeman. There, they were expected by a very angry paladin with a tapping foot.

"Mom!" Fili cried out to Dis, "Mr. Bowman... we've got to get out of town... now! People are climbing to the rooftops to escape the wall of smoke and ash! The only way to end this is—"

"—to put an end to Smaug!" Thorin's voice boomed out over the din of panicking townsfolk outside.

Bofur and Dis groaned at the same time. "A little less auspicious, please," she muttered. The wizard was gone for the day, but she knew he would agree to the sentiment. They were drawing too much attention, even standing on their stoop and the crowds were approaching, no longer shy.

Kili and Ori made it back among their ranks as soon as they could. Kili drew his bow for safety. He tossed Fili his falchions, then stretched the string taut and aimed at the general crowd. "Don't come closer!"

"Kili!" Thorin pulled him back like a little boy. He glowered at the people. "We are here for the dragon, it's true. Did something befall to my nephews that I should know of?"

"A couple of fisherman were accosting them," Ori told Thorin. "They were threatening to take Kili and Fili to the Master."

"Thankfully," Fili added, "Ori showed up and started shooting at them with his slingshot. That took the will to fight out of them." He smiled gratefully at Ori.

"But the bigger threat now is the smoke," Ori reminded them all. "The people of Laketown can't live like this. Not for long."

"When is Gandalf coming back?" Fili wondered, beginning to think the wizard that bore a name he'd imagined was little more than an all-around disappointment.

"You are friends with Gandalf?" gaped the man who had been ready to abduct Fili and Kili not so long ago. He took a step back like several others. Before anyone could say much more, the mountain rumbled once more. "Can he sense you? The dragon, he's been dormant for decades. You show up, and the mountain comes back to life. I'd like it more if it continued to sleep."

"It is the lore," Bard, the Bowman, told those within sight. "Only an heir of Durin can find the weakness in the dragon and fell the beast, freeing Erebor—and all of us—of the curse of the dragon."

"But, how could someone not from this—?" Ori began.

"Hush, child," Dwalin said quietly. "It's the lore."

In the midst of the attention focused solely on the dwarves—'the line of Durin' was all fine, but none of the people quite knew who exactly belonged to that line—Bilbo coughed. And again. At the third time, he frowned and said, "I don't know what you're going to do, but I suggest leaving this place before we all choke on fumes. That wizard would have told us if there was anything we needed to know, anyway. No point waiting for him." He looked at the company, then hopped on the first crate and clambered further up to higher ground.

Gimli shrugged, "The halfling's got a point," and followed, after which Oin and Gloin took to the roofs as well.

"If we don't _need_ Gandalf," Fili frowned, "then why did we come to this city?"

"Supplies, I suppose," Ori answered him. "We were running low."

"He told us it has to be the dragon," Kili muttered in Thorin's defense. He looked at the villagers. "Now that you know, what will you do?"

Half the nearby citizens seemed ready to attack. The rest looked as if they feared for their own lives so badly that they were beyond rational thought.

"Clearly," one woman spoke up, "Smaug senses you and your kin. He knows you've come to do him in."

"You have to finish what you started, then," said an old man. "Go kill the dragon!"

"And don't come back until it's done!" growled the fisherman Fili had stabbed.

"Don't come back, even after that," said an elderly woman. "Dwarves bring nothing but trouble!"

"So much for gratitude," Dwalin muttered. Balin leaned in and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, looked the lot over one more time, then touched Thorin's arm and left. Balin followed in his wake.

One by one the villagers were left to their own devices. The mist was getting thicker in the canals and the streets, and sight was soon so obstructed that it didn't matter if any one party wanted to act on hostility or treat about the situation. Flares of red fire were lit in the streets for safety from the waterways, and the resulting clog of smoke forced them all to disband.

Kili grabbed onto Fili's hand while they made it out and onto the roofs, where the others were waiting for them. Ori looked at his hands. "Where do we go?" he asked. "We can't stay here, and the mountain..."

Oin stepped forward, his horn pressed to his ears. Nobody knew whether he had heard Ori's quiet voice, but he declared nonetheless, "We must find Gandalf. This much smoke... we won't be able to breathe in that mountain without a certain spell. I don't know that spell, but he might, and he might be able to teach one of us."

The group murmured their reluctant assent to that. Anything was better than facing the dragon. "But do we stay here?"

"The port," Thorin decided. "There should be enough open space."

"That's in the direction of the mountain. There'll be more smoke."

"No, he's—he might be right. It should be able to disperse sooner due to the breeze along the shore."

"So..."

"All right."

"All right."

"Fine."

"What if we can't kill the dragon?" Fili whispered to Thorin as they walked away carrying their belongings on their backs. "Everyone here in Laketown will die from the smoke and ash."

"Nonsense," Thorin murmured. "Gandalf will do something to save them. It's what he does."

"Still," Fili put a hand on his arm, "I wish I'd sent Kili a plane ticket instead of your game. Then he would be somewhere safe, getting ready to start a new job, instead of traipsing off to fight a dragon. Thorin, this is suicide!"

"Staying here and doing nothing is suicide. This world is getting sicker and sicker. Soon, the plague of the city will have caught up with us, and if not that, then the spiders breeding in the Mirkwood will surely have." Thorin shook his head. "I heard the elves when they thought we were asleep. They can barely contain it. Thranduil is considering closing off his kingdom like a mammal burrowing itself in for the winter. But spring won't come until someone makes it. You forget, we've got your mother."

The bitter words that threatened to spill from Fili's mouth shocked him. He hated feeling this way about members of his own family. All he could do initially was nod. "This is your world, Thorin," he said at last. "I'll do whatever you feel needs to be done in order to fix things and go back home."

Thorin placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezed once and smiled with a tinge of sadness. "It is your world too, Fili. And Kili's. Do you not recognize some of the things? This is something that has to happen, but I would have had it otherwise if the choice were available to me. I can't force you to fight this battle. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

"The lore says an heir of Durin will find the weakness in the dragon and fell the beast," Fili smiled. "But that doesn't necessarily mean _you_. It could be me, or Kili... or Mom," he reminded him, eyes on his brother and mother, who were walking ten paces behind them. "We're with you until the end. We'll see this through."

That seemed to lighten Thorin's seriousness a bit. He stopped at the edge of a rooftop, sending several tiles falling down—and would have called after them to make sure nobody got hurt if the townspeople had not just nearly assaulted his kin—when the path was barred.

"We need to go down," said Bofur. "Everyone, hold hands when we're down there. We could lose each other."

"Nobody gets left behind," Kili added, afraid if that happened, the villagers would not be so forthcoming. A dwarf was nothing but a pest to them. He hadn't missed the mention that one would make a fine political present. He undid his coat and handed one end to Ori. His hands were already linked with Fili's. "Ready?"

\- - - - -

Fog floated in fraying clouds over the lake from the north pier. The smoke from the mountain had been receding for a while after the great density that struck not long after the company had descended into the streets, but finally they were able to see something more than a few yards again.

Night was already setting in when the last glints of the sun shimmered again across the water. Were it not the scene of a mountain with a live dragon, it would have been a pleasant vista.

Kili prodded what was left of his food and pulled out several fish bones. The flavor was bland, the fish itself thin and dry like it had been living in a lake of nuclear waste. _The Desolation_ , Balin had called it, after the complaints had started coming, much to Bombur's despair. 

"It would have been nicer, had I just had my herbs," he had complained. "Sorry." It mattered not; the food would have been dull in any situation, as the smoke was still in everyone's system. Every now and then, someone would cough and the others would nod in sympathy.

"So," Kili whispered between Fili, Ori and himself, "tomorrow morning."

"Uncle wants to scout the inside of the mountain," Fili sighed, as if already believing they were going to find something absolutely horrible when they did.

"How do we do that without the dragon seeing us?" Ori wondered.

"Anyone with rogue training could go in unseen, at least for a bit," Fili told him. "Rogues all learn to use stealth first."

"But won't a powerful dragon be able to see through it?" Ori frowned.

Fili shrugged and pushed his meal away. "I don't know. If only Bilbo were here. His ring would surely come in handy about now."

Ori sat up to be able to look over Fili's shoulder. His own meal was cleanly finished, the fish bones deposited back into the lake after Gimli had given him a funny look when Ori had tried to dig a hole. "Where is he anyway? He was supposed to be back by now. Your uncle should not have asked him to fetch us some bread. It's too dangerous, not to mention highly unethical."

"The bread is quite good," informed a disembodied voice next to him, just above what were now unmistakably scattered crumbs.

"Mr. Baggins," Fili chuckled. "How long have you been there listening to us talk about you?"

"I wager he does that quite a bit," Ori rolled his eyes. "I would too, if I could."

Bilbo blinked into existence, bearing an innocent smile. "How long do you think? Your really didn't hear me?" The bread in his hand was fresh and crispy, and he handed it out with a note to not show the others. As it had been stolen and they were still in Laketown, letting anyone know would not be the best of decisions.

Bilbo nudged over at the mountain. "So, you want me to go in there, invisible? The den of the dragon? You are aware that invisibility doesn't protect me from blisters and other painful deaths, right?"

"What does it feel like," Ori wondered, "when you go invisible like that?"

Bilbo laughed, "Oh, like you've drunk your belly full. The color drains from the world and the shadows grow longer, but it's a convenient enough thing to be invisible, so I can handle it long enough. I wouldn't recommend it though—there's spells that someone like you could learn that would have almost the same effect, but without the nightmares. When that dragon is gone, you should ask Mr. Gandalf about them."

"You speak as if you think we can actually _do_ this. Slay a dragon," Fili smiled ruefully.

"Well, it's going one way or another. But I do hope it's you, and not a war that finally decides it." Bilbo tore a chunk from his bread. While he was still chewing on it, he procured a pipe from his pockets. "And besides, it can't be a very big dragon, can it? That mountain wouldn't be able to support itself on a hollow very much." He shrugged and took to his pipe, and gave the dragon no more thought thereafter.

\- - - - -

"I take it back!"

Running through the narrow stone passageway with his vest still smoldering, Bilbo fell face forward into the dirt and let Bofur roll him over several times. He was panting madly, his ring safely back in his pocket. "I take it back. What I said yesterday, I take it back! That—that _thing_ is massive! It could see me! Don't go, any of you. It's not safe!"

Fili reached for Kili's hand, squeezing it. "But Bilbo, we _have_ to. If not for our own selfish reasons, then to save the people of Middle Earth."

"What happened in there, lad?" Bombur asked the startled hobbit.

" _Dragon_ ," replied Thorin when Bilbo was still catching his breath. "Tell me, can we take him together? Is there a chance for us?"

"We could always collapse the mountain?" Kili posed.

"Collapse the—that's out of the question!"

"It's just a mountain. And there's a dragon under it."

“It’s a _kingdom!_ ” Thorin proclaimed.

Bilbo finally got the strength to bring in, "It knows you. It speaks. 'Durin', it said. I said no, of course."

"It asked for us?" Fili whispered, suddenly chilled. "I—I don't think..."

"If it wants to speak to us, we should speak to it," Dis asserted.

"Or it'll kill us when we're all in the same place and be done with it," muttered Kili.

"It knows who you are," Bilbo sighed and underlined the bottom line of his comment. "And now it knows we are here. What do we do?"

"Is there a treasure in there?" Bofur wanted to know. 

Bombur promptly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Big one," said Dwalin, "but there's a live dragon on top, that's the problem. Why, do you want to go have a look? Bilbo?"

"Oh, yes. Gold as far as the eye can see—until the dreaded thing comes. It's impossible to stand still or sneak around. Actually, it's impossible regardless of your effort." Bilbo turned to Thorin with an odd glint in his eyes. "There are many gems in the treasure, too."

"Did you happen a see a large white one?" Balin asked Bilbo. "An iridescent one that would fill up your hand?"

Thorin and Dwalin looked at him quizzically. 

"...Several, actually." But Bilbo knew the one they were talking about—he had seen it, there in the mass of gold like a beacon of otherworldly might. He did not know what it was. He did not need to know to understand its value. "What does the one you mention do?"

"The Arkenstone," Balin said gravely. "It's a symbol, mostly, of the line of Durin's power to rule. But, in the right hands it can also be a powerful weapon."

"A weapon!" Bofur marveled. "Who would wield it?"

"Why, the king, of course," Balin nodded, turning to Thorin.

"The king?" frowned Bilbo. "Then the king should go get it. It's right there, if you look past trivialities such as, you know, _dragon_." He leaned against a wall. His skin was dirty with grime and sweat, and some of the hairs at the nape were curling like they had been singed. Bilbo had no interest in seeing the dragon again. "You'll handle it, won't you? I feel I should visit Radagast very soon. I did promise him a good cup of tea."

"Are you leaving?" asked Kili. "You can't be leaving. We—"

"You want to go home, I get that. But so do I. I'm not willing to die for someone else's cause, Kili."

Kili stared at him. "You haven't seen the city. Soon it'll be everywhere."

"This _is_ your home, Bilbo," Fili told him. "You, more than some of us, have to see this through. Your world could be destroyed, and you along with it."

"I'm sorry we've put you in this position, Mr. Baggins," Thorin told him. "You don't want to possess that special ring any more than I want to be called King of the Dwarves... but it's the way things are. I will go after the stone. I'll try at the very least. But what I'll need in order to do that is—"

"—a distraction," Ori asserted. "I can do that."

"Ori, no," Fili sighed. "It's too dangerous."

"I came here for an adventure, did I not?" the redhead smiled softly. "I can't stop now."

But Ori was never given his chance to shine. A great rumbling came forth from the treasure chamber and a blast of heat shot past them, thankfully unaccompanied by flames.

"Thieves!" the dragon roared. "I will see you burned to ashes! I will grind your bones!"

"Who's in there?" Bombur wrinkled his nose. "It certainly isn't one of ours."

"You mean people are actually trying to take the treasure with the dragon still alive?" Bofur's laugh echoed off the empty stone walls. "I need to see that. Could be after your white stone, they could. Are you with me, Ori?"

Ori gripped his staff. "We won't be away long, and we'll be safe." Then they disappeared into the glowing tunnel whence Bilbo had returned from the dragon. Bombur was complaining, Bifur next to him not quite understanding what was happening, but neither had the time to do something, for a great ruckus sounded when Bofur and Ori were run into from the side.

"Bloody hell!" one of the thieves griped when all four of them landed in a heap. "Watch where you're going!"

"They must be here with the hobbit," the other said, stooping to pick up some gold coins that had clattered to the ground in the fracas.

"We're sorry, we.... _Nori?!_ " Ori exclaimed. "And Dori?! What in blazes are you two doing here? You told me you were going to another province to try and establish trade!"

Dori—a squat dwarf with a neat grey beard and a jumpy sentiment about him—took Ori by his shoulders to burst into a lament about why their youngest brother was here, a room away from a dragon, instead of safe in their house far, far away. Ori rolled his eyes when Bofur chuckled.

The other though, Dori's exact opposite, merely snorted, "We are in another province, and we are exacting trade. Gold trade. We offer free transport in return—of the gold, of course. The question is though, what are _you_ doing here? Who are these people?"

"This is Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror," Dwalin stepped in wisely. "He is rightful king of Erebor. Surely you recognize him from your readings?"

Nori and Dori—not to mention a goodly number of the company—looked sheepish at this castigation.

Dwalin went on. "This is his sister, Lady Dis, and her sons, Fili, the crown prince, and Kili."

_The crown prince?_ Fili's eyes widened. But Thorin was king. That would mean... ah. Thorin had no children.

"Are these the brothers you spoke of, Ori?" Fili wondered. "We met him in Ered Luin," he explained to Dori and Nori. "We banded together to escape the undead."

"And then you didn't bring him home like he ought to." Dori was relentless—ignoring the bag of gold slung over his shoulder or the soot that was smeared across his face—and took Ori by the arm to pull him further away from the dragon. "You should not have come here. It won't—there's a _dragon_ , Ori. Oh, I should never have listened to your brother! See what good comes of it. Well, that leaves me no choice. We're heading home this instant, treasure be damned."

Ori stopped in his tracks. "No, Dori, we aren't. There's a horrible sickness creeping over Middle Earth. You've seen it—the blackened trees, the mutated animals. It's getting worse. There are zombies now. Giant spiders, ash and smoke. If we don't destroy this dragon and reset the balance, all our lives are forfeit."

"My goodness," Nori grinned. "Dori, it seems an amazing thing has happened. Our little brother has grown up."

Ori and Dori huffed in annoyance. 

"Will you help?" Thorin asked them. "If you do, this bag of treasure will be only a drop in an ocean compared to your share of the hoard."

"If Ori is with you, so am I." Though everyone saw that it was the gold glinting in Nori's eyes that made the difference. Ori saw it too and nudged him when Dori didn't see it, a grin on his face. Much more ready to face a dragon, too.

"So do we go?" Ori asked. "Some of us could distract it while others look for the King's Jewel. We stand more chance if we divide into several groups."

Nobody denied that, and soon three groups had formed with each their own strengths—Thorin was with Dis because, she had claimed, there was no one more suitable for pissing off a dragon than her brother, and few who could take the backlash like her and Dwalin. "You focus on speed," she told her sons. "And you," to Ori and his brothers, "you make sure you get your hands on that jewel."

"Do you have any idea what that gem will do for me, Balin?" Thorin asked his friend, before they parted.

"Not really," Balin shrugged one shoulder. "But when it's held by someone from the family of Durin, it makes the wielder very, very powerful. Powerful enough to face even a dragon."

"Does Smaug know that?" Thorin wondered, as they split up into three different corridors, all leading into the treasure halls.

The world had stopped being a game. Taking down a dragon was now something that could more likely than not get someone killed. Gandalf had been particularly vague about any of their inquiries about whether they could get back home if they ever completed the task. All Thorin knew was that it was necessary for the Blight to end—and that oddly, the idea of Smaug was stirring his blood with an inexplicable anger and drive. It had to be the family of his sister that he was protecting, he told himself.

He was repeating it like a mantra in his head when they exited unto a sea of flaming gold.

Fili, who had insisted on walking in the front of their small group with his shield held ahead of them, suddenly paused. "Kee," he whispered, so softly that it was nearly inaudible. "Look."

Before them, spreading out the length of several football fields, lay nothing but treasure. It was mostly gold, gleaming in patches of sunlight that shone through a few windows. Gems of every color, some large enough to fill a man's hand, were scattered about like so much refuse. There were goblets, bars, circlets, jewelry, bars and plates... but mostly gold coin upon gold coin. 

"I imagined it," Fili told Kili and Ori. "I pictured it, of course, but it was never quite like _this._ "

"All this belongs to your family?" Ori's eyes were huge.

"I..." Fili was at a loss for words, "I mean, it can't possibly, right?"

Baffled, Kili could only think of the world Thorin had built around himself, and the moral ambiguity that came with a game which Thorin had made and could now live in like a god, as soon as he reclaimed what the lore from his own game dictated was his. He could not imagine Thorin doing such a thing however, and certainly not with a dragon guarding it. Besides, for reasons he did not understand, the notion of a dragon rang familiar with him. He had heard of it before.

"If it does," Ori continued, "you'll be the richest family in the land. I believe actually literally. But I don't see a dragon we're supposed to be avoiding."

At that moment, the gold before them began to shimmer. It wasn't an effect of the lighting, but a tremor caused by the movements of a great beast who had burrowed beneath the gold. A few feet in front of them, the gold shifted to reveal a great eye, only a shade darker than the surrounding gold.

"Fili and Kili," a deep, sinister voice rumbled. "Nephews of the king."

Fili gasped and grabbed his brother's arm.

"What a fitting meal you will make!" the voice continued. More and more gold fell away to reveal Smaug's scales—slate blue in color— as he rose from the treasure to face them.

For a moment neither of them could move, their mouths parted in awe and terror at what had to be their demise, too early by decades. Then Kili grabbed Fili by the hand, tugged Ori along on his robe quickly, and started running. "We're not facing that," he hissed. "I'm not stopping to loose any arrow at that foul beast, or I'm dead. It's intelligent! That dragon is fucking intelligent!"

Ori could only follow. His staff looked like a matchstick compared to even a tooth of the mighty dragon. "Well, what do we do?" he whimpered. "We have to do something about it – and soon!"

"I don't care!” Kili gasped. “For now we run!"


	16. Mahal's Protection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a Durin can defeat the dragon Smaug. But it might take more than one Durin to get the job done properly.

In the corner of his eyes, Kili saw a second group running across the crossbeams behind the dragon. That was right; they were a distraction.

"I've done a lot of running in my life," Fili said, the look on his face betraying his fear. "But we can't run from this, Kili. If we do, we'll be stuck in this dying world, and we'll die along with it."

Behind them, Smaug leapt free from his hoard and into the air, flying towards the group in the rafters.

"Did you see that?" Fili paused in his tracks, in what seemed like awe. "Smaug's got a patch on his stomach where a few scales are missing."

He wasn't surprised at the dubious look from Kili. Fili had always had notoriously bad eyesight. He wore glasses for an astigmatism and near-sighted vision.

"I can see just fine here," Fili insisted. "Better than fine. The patch is here," he indicated a spot on his own body, just below his heart. See if you can spot it if he flies by again."

Kili squinted his eyes to focus. The steam rising from the body of the creature and the pieces of gold it lashed into the air with every move made it difficult to see. Just when he thought he would see what Fili was talking about, the dragon whipped around. Ori—brave, stupid Ori—had tossed a few large gems at its tail to draw its attention.

"Do you see it?" Fili raised one hand to point towards the tiny spot at which he expected his brother to shoot. 

Kili shook his head while tugging Ori along. "Stop that," he hissed, even as he saw Thorin's group make their way to a specific point in the sea of gold where they would be defenseless if the dragon took notice. Kili had to try for their sake. He grabbed an arrow. "His chest, you said?"

He blindly launched the first arrow as soon as Smaug turned.

"Kili, relax," Fili said, so quietly it was almost inaudible. "Focus. Ori, can you...?"

Ori nodded, and lay a hand on either side of Kili's head. "Indescribable Peace is the name of this spell," he told Kili. "It's to help you calm down and focus on the task at hand." Ori's hands began to glow and Kili began to feel all thoughts except those pertaining to killing Smaug leave his mind.

The problem with that was that he was so focused that when the dragon reared on them, fear could not persuade Kili to move. With an arrow ready for its mark, the dragon came closer and closer.

"What is he doing?" Bofur hissed to Gloin. "He's getting himself killed!" He stood up to his knees in gold, a strangely glowing jewel in his pocket, when he groaned and tossed one of his daggers at the dragon to draw him away.

Smaug whipped its tail but did not turn around, not when he was so close to swatting one fly. A rumbling laugh tore from its throat, sinister in knowing that he had a Durin. His gaze held that of the dwarfling, so poorly experienced that Thorin Oakenshield might have killed him himself by sending him into combat.

The first arrow missed by not more a yard.

Fili watched horrified as Gloin and Bofur went flying. From Bofur's pocket fell what could only be the Arkenstone. He knew he had to get that gem into the hands of someone in his family—immediately.

"Keep trying!" he hollered to Ori and Kili. "Don't let him give up, Ori!" With that, Fili ran towards the spot where he'd seen the Arkenstone go rolling down a massive pile of gold.

Ori helplessly called after him, "Don't let him give up? But what if he dies?"

Even that could not bring Kili out of his focus. He notched the next arrow. As he aimed it, his tongue peeked from the corner of his mouth. There was confidence in his bearing now, more than Ori could have given him—he had seen the patch. "I'll get you, serpent," he promised, and launched the next arrow.

Fili dove for the Arkenstone, catching it just before it dropped over a ledge and slid down into the deep recesses of Erebor. As soon as his hands closed around it, he felt a warmth spread throughout his body. He lay for just a moment, panting with his efforts, while green and white light gathered around his body. 

Fili felt new skills he hadn't had before manifesting themselves into his mind. Struggling to his feet, he ran back to his brother and Ori as Kili let fly his final arrow, which embedded itself right into the unprotected part of Smaug's underside.

Smaug let out a roar that shook the castle and the surrounding countryside, rearing back to let out a blast of hellfire aimed directly at Ori and Kili. Fili saw the smoke and flames as they headed towards his brother and friend. They would surely perish. The Arkenstone throbbed in his grip, spurring him on, and he made it to the spot where he'd left Kili and Ori.

"Mahal's Protection!" Fili cried out, raising the hand not holding the stone out towards the dragon. Immediately, an opaque bubble formed around him, enveloping Ori and Kili as well. The wall of flame passed harmless by them, sputtering out when it hit the wall behind them.

Smaug let out a desperate wail of a roar and fired again, this time only producing a puff of white smoke and a dank, smoldering smell. "No!" the dragon wailed. "I knew a Durin would come to defeat me someday, but I never dreamed it would be two whelps from the otherworld!"

He gave a leap into the air, flexing his massive wings and rising up through one of the larger windows, an agonizing death wail expelling from his throat. Seconds later, they all felt the earth shake as the massive dragon fell to the earth outside, dead.

"Well," Dori said brightly, "that's handy. We would have had a bugger of a time dragging him out of here." 

When Kili snapped out of the spell, he looked around in a daze. The treasure halls were empty, aside from the company that had brought him here, and all of them were cheering. He had run out of arrows, but it didn't seem to matter. "What—what happened? Is that—"

The cry was echoing on into the night. The sound would reach Laketown within a minute, ghostly wisps rebounding off the arcades that kept the rest of the mountain high over their heads.

"It's dead," he whispered. "We actually did it. Does that mean—" He turned to Fili, who looked different now, "—are we going home?"

" _You_ did it!" Ori cried, hugging Kili tightly. "You shot him down, Kili! It was amazing."

Behind the redhead, Fili smiled shyly, waiting for Ori to separate from his brother before handing the Arkenstone to Kili.

"You are amazing," Fili echoed Ori's sentiment, watching as his brother was instantly leveled to 50 in God Mode, a rainbow of colors swirling around him.

"I—?" Kili looked at the bow in his hands. It was puny compared to the size of the dragon. An arrow would have done as much damage as a push pin. "With this? I—whoa!" The rush that followed took his breath away. Oddly enough, it never quite subsided. He reached into his empty quiver and drew out air, but when he tried his bow next, a shimmering blue arrow of solid energy appeared. "That's the stone! Give it to Thorin!"

"That arrow might have been handier a moment ago..." Fili heard Ori saying, voice shaky with relief, as he ran across the treasure chamber in search of his uncle and mother.

Bofur's crew sat down among the heaps of gold. After the initial shock of actually defeating a dragon, reality was crashing down, and with came the relief that today would not be the day they died. The great calamity Smaug—dead, along with the plague that had stretched out over the world. They could not see it but they could feel it, for their hearts felt lighter than before.

"I killed a dragon," whispered Kili. "I wasn't even level 20." He looked at Ori. "Are you okay? That spell... what was it? You've never used it before. I couldn't think of anything else but that spot on the dragon's chest. It was powerful."

"Indescribable Peace," Ori patted him on the shoulder. "I can only use it once a day.. I'd never used it before. I'm glad it works. Very, very glad."

Thorin could see the glow of the Arkenstone long before Fili came into view. "We found it!" he told his uncle. "This is the Arkenstone, Thorin." He held the iridescent gem in both hands. "It saved us."

Dis was hugging him before the stone could be handed over. She wouldn't let go until she was sure Fili was here, safe and alive. "What happened?" she wanted to know, and listened to her son as he told her of what the sudden flash and the strange immobility of her youngest son had been, and then the cry of the dragon. Smaug's massive body had been blocking the view from where she had stood, and too long she had thought that her sons were no longer alive. Smaug had swooped in and Kili had moved left or right—and Fili had been in its path. "We're leaving," she whispered like a mantra. "We're leaving this place. Thorin?"

"Dis," Thorin looked at her helplessly.... "I don't know how to leave."

"Leave now? Are you crazy?" Bofur laughed maniacally. "How could you possibly leave? Your family has just inherited the treasure to end all treasures!"

"We've _all_ inherited it," Thorin told them. "Each of you is part owner of this treasure, because you helped us attain it."

Fili whispered to his mother, "I thought we might be going home when the dragon died. But we're still here."

She sighed wearily. "I really don't know, Fili." It was what she had expected, too, possibly too hopeful to be realistic. They would get rid of the plague, and that would be that. "Maybe Gandalf knows? Maybe Thorin just has to touch the stone? We left Laketown before Gandalf could give us a clear answer. It doesn't matter. You're in one piece, and you're with me. The stone did something for you, didn't it?"

"Gave him a new spell," Bombur boasted proudly. "I saw it. Just in time, too. Something about Durin's Protection? Well, anyway, that dragon could not break it." He peered at the stone. "Might I hold it? I wonder what it does for me."

"Perhaps it'll teach you how to bake a proper pie," Bofur muttered.

"I'm a chef, not a baker," Bombur reminded him.

"I—I think I need to give this to my uncle," Fili told them apologetically. "We're still not one hundred percent sure how safe it is."

"Oh, c'mon lad, just let me touch it," Bombur begged.

Fili turned to his uncle expectantly. 

"He's earned the right," Thorin nodded. "We all have."

But when Fili handed the stone to Bombur, the stone went dark.

"Well," Nori sighed, "that was anticlimactic."

"Nonsense," tittered Dori, who was ready to try the stone for himself. Maybe he would receive a different color; or maybe the stone would disappear into his back pocket and reappear in the confines of his home. Going back seemed pointless though. "This dragon," he started, "it won't come back, will it? It is not like we stick around long enough and get to kill it again? If there's just a small chance, I'd really rather not stay here."

"We can eat it?" Bombur suggested. "If the meat is still there, it would be a waste not to. Besides, resurrecting beasts will have disappeared."

"At any rate, can you imagine how badly it'll smell here in a few days once that beastie starts to decay?" Gloin piped in. "We should, at the very least, burn the body as a favor to the men of Laketown."

"They didn't do us any favors!" his brother groaned. 

"All the more reason why we should do it." Dis clapped her hands together smartly. "We've done them a solid, slaying that dragon. Perhaps this will be the start of friendlier relations between men and dwarves."

"But can I save a small piece for dinner?" tried Bombur. "I have never tried dragon meat before. I doubt anyone else still alive has. We can burn the rest, of course, but a lovely steak?"

Relieved laughter broke out among them.

"Do you think it's even remotely possible to transport some of this treasure back home?" Balin asked his brother. "Even a fraction of it would make us incredibly wealthy."

"Home as in, Silicon Valley? I don't know how we got here, but transporting physical means there..."

"Remotely," emphasized Balin.

"...Well, I suppose remotely is acceptable. I know a way to ensure that we're rich for the rest of our lives though."

"We might be able to find a way to store it on a cloud," Balin ran a finger thoughtfully along the edge of a nearby golden statue that bore a striking resemblance to Thorin.

"Honestly, Mr. Fundinson," Dis chuckled. "Although, that statue would make an interesting addition to my garden."

All of them were avoiding asking the question as to how they were going to get back home.

"So..." Kili asked at last. "Are we staying here for the night? Because if we're not, we'd better go back to Laketown soon."

"Nonsense," Thorin replied at once. He turned to the treasure. "If we leave, they'll claim it all for themselves. They didn't defeat the dragon. It's ours."

"But it's only stones and gems in a big hall. Where do we sleep? Here?"

Nori fell back into a pile of coins and they scattered. He began making swimming motions. "I could get rather comfortable here."

"I really am hungry," Bombur reminded them.  
"We all are," Gimli echoed.

Fili watched uneasily as his uncle's eyes scoured the treasure, but kept darting back to the Arkenstone, still in Fili's grip.

"I'm not sleeping on coins," said Kili. It was obvious that none of them had thought about what would happen if they actually slew the dragon. But they had, and it wasn't bringing them home. "Thorin, Mom... I'm not interested in the treasure. I'm sorry. Maybe for student loans, but other than that, I'm really fine. I don't care if you store it on a server somewhere. But what I do want is the truth. We saved these people from the Blight, didn't we? Why are we still here?"

"I don't know," Fili sighed. "I never ever pretended to understand all the computer-y stuff you guys do. I'll miss you guys, when we do have to leave," he said, eyes on Ori. 

"Maybe we're meant to help Legolas and Tauriel," Balin suggested. 

Fili shrugged, handing the Arkenstone over to his uncle.

It was as if a spark had struck in their midst. A wind rose from corridors unseen, lifting chips of gold up in a vortex around Thorin. Everyone shut up.

"What's going on?" Ori whispered to Fili. "Is he returning to your world? Is this goodbye?"

Dwalin pushed Ori behind him. "That's not how we came here. Step back."

"But it might be a portal," said Balin, who stared with open mouth at the spectacle. Thorin was now shrouded from view, and a glow was beginning to emerge from within.

"Home!" Thorin bellowed from within the maelstrom. "I can see home! Hurry, come through before it closes!"

"But..." Fili started. Fili knew that _home_ for him would put him three thousand miles away from his brother. He turned to Kili. "We need to go through, Kili. I'll come for you, I promise."

His brother looked over his shoulder at the rest. "What about them?" he called out, trying to be heard over the noise of the whirl. Ori looked forlorn, like he wanted to come but was afraid that he could never go back. Kili understood his fears. The world they had been locked into had been so different from where they came from, and it wasn't all bad. Now that the blight of Smaug had been lifted, the land would no longer be corrupted.

But even as he considered those things, the maelstrom began to pull them in. Balin and Dwalin had already gone, and Dis resisted because she needed to see her sons inside first. There was no choice for them.

"I'll wait for you," Kili called. He mouthed after that, "I love you," and let out a sound when Fili was snatched away from him.

\- - - - - 

When Fili awoke, he was lying on the floor next to his desk in his bedroom at Thorin's house in San Jose. Groaning, he got to his feet and sat wearily in his computer chair. He was wearing exactly what he'd been wearing the day he'd been sucked into Middle Earth. A glimpse at the digital clock by his bed read 9:24 p.m., only a few minutes after he had initially logged on. It appeared as if nothing had changed. The date on the clock was the same date he'd started playing with his brother.

Had their trip to Middle Earth really taken no time at all?

Voices and clattering metal distracted him from his thoughts, and he was drawn to look at his computer screen. In front of him, rendered in pixels, was the treasure chamber of Erebor. Within it, Ori and his brothers, along with Gimli, Oin, Gloin, Bofur, Bombur and Bifur, were filling their rucksacks and pockets with gems, coins and chalices.

Fili gasped out a laugh, tapping on the screen as if to get their attention. It failed. 

"Enjoy your wealth, my friends," he told them, even though he knew they couldn't hear them. "Ori, I hope you're not done adventuring."

The ringing phone startled him.

"Fili?"

Thorin's office, it read on the display—and that was decidedly the voice of his uncle, two years missing and now returned. How long had he really been in the game, if Fili and Kili had been there but seconds?

"You're here. Thank goodness. Are you all right? No missing limbs, not carrying any funny daggers? How are you?"

"I'm all right, Thorin," Fili sighed in relief, though he involuntarily patted himself down at Thorin's question. His left hand paused over the pocket of his jeans, and he reached in to feel what felt like a handful of rocks. He pulled his hand out to reveal a fist full of gems—diamonds, rubies, sapphires, an emerald, and four gold coins, all of which had a primitive profile of his uncle etched upon them. "I— I've got some treasure. It was in my pocket. Some gems and coins." He sat weakly down on the bed, still watching the antics of their Middle Earth comrades dancing about the treasure chamber.

"...Listen, Fili. We're going to figure out what it is. Balin, Dwalin and I. I have the Arkenstone with me. Things shouldn't be able to turn from data into matter like that. It doesn't work that way. So we think... we have a suspicion... well, that's better not said aloud over the phone. But we're figuring it out. Don't show that treasure to anyone." Thorin smiled, invisible but audible in his voice. "You're all right, that's what's most important. Go, call Kili, see how he's doing. I will see you later."

"I will, Uncle," Fili assured him. "Please, come home soon."

He was dialing Kili before he'd properly hung up on Thorin.

The line was occupied, and continued to be the next three times he called. On the fourth, Kili came through. "Fili! You were calling me, weren't you? I was calling you! Are you okay?" He sounded a bit panicked, hoarse and very unlike his regular self—but safe.

"I'm home," was all Fili could manage, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Thorin is too. He's with Balin and Dwalin at the office. And Mom?"

"Mom's here," Kili said quickly. "She knows I'm calling you. She says hi." A silence passed. "You're away again... I knew you were going to be, but I didn't think... I miss you." He had locked the door by shoving a chair in front of the handle and was sitting on Fili's long-unused bed, clutching his phone to his ear. "My hair is longer."

"Yeah?" Fili bit his lip. "Because your long hair... _so_ hot, Kili. Wish I were there right now. I'd lift it and kiss your neck."

In the room across the county, Kili fell back onto the bed. The springs creaking could still be heard over the phone. "...Mom's probably listening in on me on the other side of the door, I should warn you. But I won't cut it. I even had the clasp when we came back. That shouldn't be possible if it was a game, right?" He closed his eyes. "When can I see you again?"

"I have a few things, too," Fili told him, eyes traveling to the treasure on his desk. "I—I want you to come out here, Kili. Take Uncle up on his job offer. We'll get a place together. It'll be... perfect."

"I was planning to, before all of this," Kili smiled. "Just a few more weeks until I graduate. I can't believe no time has passed. I was sure I was going to need another couple of months because of a delay. Imagine that, facing a dragon and then having to present a delayed thesis."

"It would have been awful for you to have finished all those years of school and then had to wait to graduate," Fili reminded him. "Now you don't have to wait. Is everything really the same as it was when we left?"

"...I think I've got all my skills, if that makes sense?" Although Kili said it like it was a pleasant surprise, he still wasn't sure about the sudden need to buy a fiddle, or the fact that he noticed the sounds of nature outside and a strange song with words he should not be able to understand in his head. "Something really strange has happened. Thorin has to look into it. I don't think it was a game, Fee. I look at the screen and I see all of them, sure, but I really don't think it was a game. That dragon, and the Line of Durin... it is so familiar."

Fili chuckled nervously. "Familiar?" he chased after Kili's confession.

On a lark, Fili gave thought to one of the first spells he'd learned—a minor strength and endurance buff called Fortitude. He extended his hand in front of him and the tips of his fingers began to glow. Kili heard a clatter as Fili's phone fell to the floor, and a hurried apology when Fili picked it back up.

"M-maybe you're right." Fili sounded as if he'd take one too many sleeping pills. "Maybe it was more than a game."

"Fili?" He wasn't fooling Kili. "Something happened. What is it?" Kili didn't need to see him to deduct that strange things were going on. When the computer screen went black and then back to the title screen, he made a startled sound. "Fili, what's going on?"

"I think," Fili whispered, "that we might have brought some of Middle Earth back with us, Kili." He sat on the edge of his bed attempting to calm his breathing. "Maybe it's residual," he posited. "Are you able to do anything... magical?"

"I didn't have spells." Kili shook his head. He racked his brains for what he could do, aside from shooting with precision and, apparently, play the fiddle. "Did you just do a _spell_? No way. What did you do?"

"I think I just almost cast Fortitude on myself," Fili told him as if he were describing a trip to the market.

"...I need to see you." As soon as was possible, Kili thought, afraid that this meant that the game had not let them go and could reclaim them at any moment. Though not one of the more logical explanations, he couldn't handle the distance between them when things were like this. "I'll write the rest of my thesis there. Just, I really need to see you. And Thorin. And figure out how this is possible. Don't go anywhere. I need to talk to Mom about this."

"Mom should come along," Fili suggested, much as he knew he'd regret it. "We need to figure this out."

He stood and took a look in the mirror. His hair, which he had always worn quite long, was even longer. He smiled at his visage. "Kili... this is weird, right? But it's not so bad."

"...As long as you're alright."

\- - - - -

Waiting to reclaim their luggage had taken forever, and Kili had already been tired from working on his paper in a crowded plane trip with one too many crying babies. By the time they reached the arrivals gate though, Kili was wide awake. His mother had to calm him down before they passed it. "Remember your promise. You do, right, Kili?"

No public displays of affection—that was the condition his mother had given him for taking this trip with her. Kili had thought she had been going too easy on him, but perhaps she wanted to see her other son as much as he did. Whatever the reason, he had promised to keep to it.

But that was easier said than done when he caught sight of the familiar figures in the crowd. Thorin had come along, too.

Fili, embarrassed by his hair among all these strangers, had tied it back from his face. He wore jeans and a comfortable long-sleeved t-shirt of light brown. His eyes lit up when Kili and his mother appeared.

"Mom!" he called out, because it was the proper thing to do, and rushed to her, catching Dis up in a surprising hug. "You look great."

She wouldn't let go for a good two minutes, examining him and making sure that he was fine. "My boy has a mustache," she smiled. "Look at you, so grown up." She had seen him only yesterday, but being in a game had given her the expectation that real life might be different. "How are you feeling?" she asked for the umpteenth time.

"Dis," Thorin chuckled after them, "let him breathe. He's fine. I'm glad you could make it here so fast."

She shrugged. "It's the weekend. Better for Kili not to miss too many classes. But I'm famished, and tired. And I think Kili probably is too. Let's be on our way."

In Thorin's backseat, in the darkness of the night, it was easier for Fili to reach for his brother's hand and lock onto it.

"Welcome to California," he whispered to Kili. "Land of gold ... and hopefully, answers."

Sleepy, Kili's mouth tugged up at the corners. "And Fili. And magic powers. We're going to log in again soon, aren't we? Uncle Thorin is looking like he's committing this whole ride to memory."

"Thorin," Fili spoke up from the back seat. "Are we going to talk about this?"

But it was their mother who looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Not now," and that was the end of it for that night.

They pulled up to Thorin's drive not much later, and Fili was left to show Kili and Dis where they would sleep, as Thorin disappeared into his office before they had taken off their light jackets.

"Tomorrow," Dis promised them. "He has a lot on his mind. I swear we're not doing anything until Kili has graduated."

Fili was exhausted, body still thrumming from their encounter with the dragon. But that night, lying in his own bed at home, he couldn't sleep. Especially with the knowledge that his love lay not twenty feet away from him. A hot shower and an Ambien did not put a dent in his insomnia.

He found himself thinking of Ori and the others—soon to be wealthy land owners, no doubt. Ori could soon have a vast library and all the horses he wanted.

The game had stopped when the screen had gone black. Although he had tried, he could no longer access the menu, let alone see how everyone was doing. Thorin had said there were a number of reasons for why that could be and that he was looking into it, but so far he had not been able to give the definitive answer.

His phone alerted him of a message. It could be only one person, also lacking sleep, or maybe staying up until everyone else was out. _Hey you. Fancy showing a tourist around town?_

Fili chuckled. _Kee,_ he sent back. _It's two in the morning._ But he was already sitting up. 

_Already dressed and in the living room,_ came the reply.

 _We're going to get in trouble,_ Fili announced, when he showed up two minutes later in a pair of jeans and the same shirt he'd worn earlier. A set of car keys jingled in his hand.

Kili had written a note, just in case—and what arguments could anyone have against two adults going for a drink? He wore a casual outfit that was different from earlier, but not so much fit for a serious night on the town. Kili just wanted to spend time with his brother.

He let Fili pick their destination, and followed him into the dark, smoky interior with their hands linked. Nobody would take away the privacy that they had been denied since the Blight came. Not tonight.


	17. Home For Me Is Where You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real world no longer seems as bright and shiny to Kili. Fili's just glad to be home safe. Thorin's team starts working on a secret project behind closed doors that just might help everyone get what they want.

It took a little time and effort, but the staff at Erebor Software finally convinced Thorin that Middle Earth was ready to stop alpha and beta testing and go live. Not a single episode of immersion had been recorded once Thorin and his family and co-workers returned after Smaug's destruction. 

Thorin had seen to it that the halfling character model had been created. It was no coincidence that the base model looked exactly like Bilbo Baggins. Smaug was back, in pixel form, awaiting encounters with high level in-game raid parties. But NPCs had returned to being flat sellers and quest-givers. If Gloin and his family or the ‘Ri brothers still remained in Middle Earth, they were keeping well hidden. 

It took a while before Kili—recently graduated and already having earned himself a spot as a junior developer through a job interview that he had insisted would be without his uncle so that nobody could call it a favor—convinced Fili to log in again with him. Though they enjoyed venturing through towns and forests, they were disappointed to find that Ori and their other friends weren't there, and rather spent the time in their flat catching up on the years that they lost. 

Kili moved to a special project some months later, and was forced to sign an NDA that didn't allow him to tell Fili anything about what he was working on. He came home with a smile every now and then that meant something, however. 

Now that Kili was back in his life, Fili never stopped smiling. Fili's students and co-workers knew Kili as "Fili's friend," not his brother. Dis was becoming more and more comfortable around them, and they did everything they could to curb any overt displays of affection around her. 

"It's torturing you," Fili said over cobb salads one evening, "not being able to talk to me about the project, isn't it?" 

The fork paused midair, before it was absently returned to the salad. Kili grinned. "You'll find out very soon. But yes, it's—it's really something, Fee. I wish you could have been brought on the team. It's groundbreaking work, all R&D. Most likely none of it will ever be released to the public, but you, I can tell you very soon." 

Fili reached for his hand. "I'd hate it—working there. Too technological and structured," he smiled. "Besides, if you had to live _and_ work with me, you'd go insane." 

"Never," said Kili with full confidence, "then again, our coworkers might. Yes, they probably would. And Uncle Thorin, he'd be so done with us. Promise, a few more weeks." He returned eating his salad, but paused to look at Fili as he was unaware of being watched. No one was more perfect than Fili, with his braids that were still in his hair, the gentility that had characterized Fili since childhood, and the appeal that a simple smile could have on Kili. He loved him with all his heart. "How was your day?" 

"We started 'The Once and Future King'," Fili told him. "I'm in heaven. You know I love that Arthurian stuff." He broke off a piece of bacon and put a piece of avocado on top of it. He popped it in his mouth and savored it, eyes rolling. "Mm, these fresh avocados never get old. I'm so glad the tree finally blossomed." He was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do you still think about it?" 

Kili stole a kiss from him while he was in his avocado bliss. "Every day, but then I work there. I see Balin almost every day, and I hold that place responsible for my ridiculous hair trouble." Kili's beard had stopped growing, whereas any time he cut his hair, it was back to the same length in a matter of weeks. It was better than Fili's—Fili's hair was a tangle as soon as he tried to leave it unbraided for some time. "Do you play in it?" 

"Sometimes," Fili absently twirled one of his braids. "I keep looking for our friends. But it's not like before, Kili." 

Kili did not reply, but he smiled at his boyfriend. "Keep next Saturday free for me, all right? And no plans on Sunday either." 

Fili smirked. "All my time is yours, Kili. You act like I have a social life or something." He took a long swig of white wine. "What are you plotting?" 

Kili simply kissed him on the brow. "Confidential." And he continued his salad, glancing at Fili every now and then, leaving him with no clue but what his own imagination made of it. 

They spent that evening at a summer street fair, where nobody knew who they were, and when they returned home on a pleasant buzz, Kili still had not mentioned it. Notoriously bad at keeping secrets, he oddly managed this time. 

The following days, he wasn't home before midnight at the earliest. Kili woke at six, and had to be taking naps during breaks or he would not be able to handle the hours. On Friday night, he found Fili asleep already and sneaked into bed beside him. "Done," he whispered. 

"Mhm, Kili," Fili sighed in his sleep, rolling over to put an arm around him. "Love you." 

Kili snuggled himself into the comfortable warmth of his lover and sneaked his arm around Fili's waist. "Love you," followed after a kiss that was designed to tell Fili exactly how much he did without waking him up further. "Get back to sleep. I missed you." 

Warm and safe in Kili's arms, Fili needed very little convincing. Each evening they spent together, Fili found it easier and easier to get to sleep, and stay that way. 

It was Kili who had trouble sleeping. A long time of working late and seeing Fili only when he was asleep and during rare moments when Kili could take an hour off and visit him for lunch had made him permanently sleepy, but anticipation made that sleep eluded him when he really ought to catch up. He watched Fili's breath as his chest rose and fell. 

They hardly saw each other as brothers anymore. They had grown up together and they shared a mother and a father, but now they lived as partners. Kili could not picture sharing this with anyone else. They really were two sides of the same coin. 

Sleep caught him around four in the morning. At eight—an odd change from during the week—the alarm clock still went off too early. 

Kili could hear the shower running in their bathroom. In the kitchen, a covered dish on the table held a sundried tomato bagel with a folded egg and cheese inside, situated next to a small cup of oatmeal. 

_Can't wait till you're home more,_ Fili's note silently scolded him. _I miss you._

Kili could have joined him in the shower, had he not still been so bleary-eyed when the water stopped running. When Fili returned to the kitchen, Kili was doing better, but he continued to yawn at inopportune times. "Can't believe I'm tired when I got to sleep in," he grinned. "Did you eat already?" 

"Yeah," Fili told him with a smile. "Teacher's hours. I've been up since six. I thought I heard you come in around midnight. You should have gotten at least seven hours sleep." 

"I should have. I'm probably not getting enough today. Or tomorrow. But Thorin gave me a day off on Monday and, I mean, I'm used to sleeping during breaks now." Kili liked how their mornings together usually started with a kiss. "Besides, uh, we're expected at eleven." 

"Oh?" Fili raised his eyebrows, reaching for an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table. "Expected where?" 

Kili grinned over the kitchen table. "Erebor Industries. I hate keeping you in the dark, but it's just a few more hours, and it'll just be us and some others, all of whom you know." He finished his breakfast and, before Fili could wheedle something out of him that he wasn't meant to say, he made for the shower. 

Fili wrinkled his forehead in consternation. Could all this just be some elaborate ploy to get Fili to come work for the company? He hoped not. 

"Little brother," he got to his feet, taking care of the breakfast dishes, "you are going to be the death of me yet." 

Kili smiled sweetly, unapologetic. 

They left home at ten. The commute wasn't as long as it was on week days, when Kili faced traffic jams on a daily basis, but he insisted to be there on time. Fili was handed an NDA upon their arrival, and admitted after it was filled in. Despite their early arrival, they were the last ones there. 

Thorin clapped Fili on the shoulder and examined him proudly. "Still wearing the braids," he noticed. Fili had moved out as soon as Kili had started working for him, so that they could live together, and Thorin saw him plenty of times still, but for some reason the braids were what he noticed. "It's good to have you here. Do you want a tour of the place?" 

Fili had visited his uncle's workplace before, of course. Thorin had always been rushing about and had foisted him off on Dwalin. But the place seemed nicer now—better appointed—as if they had come into money recently. 

"Why am I here, Thorin?" Fili asked. "What's the huge project you all have been working on that keeps Kili working such long hours?" 

Thorin inclined his head. "It's better to show you." He gestured for Fili to follow, guiding him past the noncommittal antechamber into the large hall that was a lab and the home to a large metal ring, almost a yard thick, on a plateau. It looked, aside from its size, fairly dull, were it not that the center absorbed all light and left a black impenetrable void. 

"It's not normally on," Thorin explained. "We're running the last tests right now. Kili built the core of that thing. Have you got any idea what you're looking at, Fili?" 

Fili was a movie watcher. Particularly fantasy and sci-fi, but how could he tell his uncle that the circle in front of him looked like some sort of portal? 

"It looks..." Fili wrinkled his nose, "are you developing a new game?" 

"We're expanding on an obsolete one, actually," Thorin replied. "It looks like science fiction, doesn't it? We thought it would be a nice touch. Based on tests, that device should bring us back to Middle Earth. We've put other subjects through, and they all returned alive and well. You're looking at the first human being who will attempt it, today." 

_"You?!"_ Fili's eyes grew wide. "Thorin, are you sure you want to do that?" 

"Who else?" Thorin said simply. "I've not been able to let go of it since I returned, and I've done extensive research about it. The Arkenstone was never designed, Fili. We didn't make Gandalf—he existed on his own right. We didn't create Bilbo. What we saw... it's not a game. But it is connected to me, and you, and Kili." 

"It would be foolish to go alone," Fili told him. "What if you landed in the center of a bunch of those lizard men? Or the spiders? Thorin, one of us— _both_ of us—should go with you." 

Thorin stopped before the gate. "Dwalin is coming with me for the first visit. The next, when it's safe, I would offer you the same opportunity. But Fili... I don't intend to open this to the public. Nobody other than who has been there before is going. There would be plunder if people found out that matter is transferable. We don't know the long term effects of moving matter—it goes against several laws of nature. The effects could be devastating." 

"So what have you sent through before? Dogs? Plants?" 

Thorin coughed. "Pretty much, yes." He left it at that, moving to Kili as soon as his eyes fell on his other nephew entering the cavernous room. They talked about something Fili could not hear, but when Thorin returned, he inclined for Fili to follow to a nearby table, folded his hands and watched him. "Your brother didn't tell you anything," he said at last. "I admire that, though I expected that he wouldn't b—" 

"Thorin," Kili groaned. 

"Yes, well, see... how much do you know about parallel dimensions?" 

"Nothing, except what I've read in books and seen in sci-fi movies," Fili told him, a dubious expression on his face. "Because they don't _exist,_ Thorin. They aren’t real." 

"It's theoretical," Kili corrected him. "Nobody has been able to prove it, but neither has anyone really come up with a good argument to refute it. It's a possibility." He looked over at the gate. "But we did it. We passed through that dimension door before, when we played the game. You see, we don't really know much about the effects of matter passing between dimensions, and the current theory..." Kili asked Thorin to go on. Thorin nodded. "...the current theory is that Thorin and Mom, and maybe Balin and Dwalin, came from that place once."  
Fili's eyes flitted nervously between his uncle and the darkness inside the ring. "Kili, then how did you and Mom pass through that gate from three thousand miles away?" 

"That's the thing," Thorin fiddled with a folder in front of him, "we don't know. We don't know if we came through there, or if something else passed. Your mother and I talked about it, and we are both sure that that world was too familiar to be a coincidence, but as to how or why..." 

"But the connection is strong," explained Kili. "Strong enough that it's still affecting us. I mean, look at me. Look at you. You can still do that spell, can't you?" 

"I... I haven't tried..." Fili flexed his fingers, and they began to glow blue in the dark room. "Shit," he muttered. "I had hoped this was behind us." 

In the far end of the hall, movement heralded the arrival of Balin and Dwalin, and one person more, who must have been on the team, until they came closer and the silhouette became an undeniable Dis. But Kili, who didn't see, continued talking about the Arkenstone until Thorin held up a hand and laughed. "Sister. Had a good trip?" 

"You're sending my kids into the abyss if they want to," she quipped in reply. "Mixed feelings, Thorin." 

"We can go too?" Fili brightened. 

"I thought you had reservations," Thorin turned to him. 

"But I think about our friends all the time," Fili told him. "Ori, Gloin and Gimli, Bofur. I wonder how they're doing. Have you heard from Legolas and Tauriel?" 

Thorin looked once more at the ring and the blackness within, but did not answer. "The plan is for me to go in first, along with Dwalin, and come back at once. We have recordings of the transfer, but our specimens have shown severe disorientation upon returning, and we know it's likely to be a bumpy ride. Fili, you have to know that this is not going to be as easy as plugging into a game. If the experiment works, we have to decide on what to do next, because this machine and all the work we've done needs to be destroyed before others can use it for their profit." 

_Well then, what's the point?_ Fili wanted to argue. _Why bother building it if you're going to destroy it if it's successful?_ But he knew his uncle, and his brother. They were building it because they _could._

Fili knew at that moment that whether or not this particular portal were to take them to another dimension, Erebor Software was on the verge of something huge. Their lives would never be the same. 

"But that's a few hours from now." Kili took his hand—careful not to be seen by their mother—and nudged. "There's a lot more I can show you. Thorin has to prepare, so he'll be going into a different chamber with the right air conditions to help him adjust to the transfer. When he's there, we're going to put him into a sleep. Dwalin too. When they go through, they are asleep. We'll have sensors on them to register everything. When they get there, an automatic injection will wake them. For the trip back however, they are unfortunately going to have to be awake. Do you want to see the room?" 

Fili nodded, his movements sluggish. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was dreaming. As he followed his brother away from the room with the portal, he asked, "Is mom involved in this project?" 

When they were alone in the corridors again, Kili breathed out. He had worked towards this for so long, but what if Fili decided he didn't want it after all? What if something went wrong? He had been anticipating this day for months, and now that it had come, he could only worry. "She's here because she wants to be. She didn't help, but she was informed, and she insisted to be here the first time Thorin goes. But she knows only that it's a teleportation device of sorts." Kili squeezed Fili's hand. "After today, if you want to, I'll be home from work at regular hours. No more late night shifts." 

A small spark of hope unfurled in Fili's chest. All he wanted was a normal, simple, happy life, with time to spend with Kili. "I look forward to that, Kee," he said cautiously. "But after what I've just been shown, it sounds far too good to be true. You're entering a critical step in the research. If anything, I'd think you'd be away more. Or that you'd want to be... _there._ " That he meant Middle Earth was understood. 

Kili squirmed when Fili said that. He hesitated before speaking, "I do want to be there, actually," he said quietly. "It hasn't let go of me since we left. But it's a mutual decision." 

"Kili," Fili sighed. "I'll admit, there was some appeal to Middle Earth—especially when we were separated from one another, and it was the only place we could be together. But now we have that, and we're _safe._ Do you really want to go back to a place where giant spiders exist? Where Elves hate us and we can be chased by zombies?" 

Kili grinned. "And where we can live in a mountain, go for a journey in the wilderness on foot and where magic exists? You have to admit, there are places in this world where we shouldn't be either." He stopped before a door, placing a hand on the knob, before leaning over for a kiss. "Take your time to decide. It would be a big change, and I'm not forcing you to do anything. Home for me is where you are—it always has been. Now, ready to see the calibration room?" 

Fili was still unable to shake the hazy feeling that he was dreaming. With a shaky nod, he followed his brother around the corner 

A snug but oddly spacious room spread out before them. While there wasn't a hospital bed, the comfortable lounging chair in the middle was surrounded by tubes and monitors. "We seal the room as soon as someone is in," Kili explained with the enthusiasm of someone who had looked forward to it. "We can even switch gravity off, if we need to. See, Thorin is going to be here," he gestured to the seat, "and we'll put him in a sleep in seconds. He will adjust for about twenty minutes once he is, and then we commence." 

Kili could have flaunted all the devices, but at that time the door opened again and the rest came in. Kili smiled. He walked over to Thorin and accepted the man placing two hands on his shoulders, sharing a moment of courage. Then Thorin moved to Fili and did the same. "Don't be afraid," he said to him. "We've tested this many times. On the other end is a large plain, very little local wildlife besides birds and insects. It is safe." 

Nonetheless, Fili hugged Thorin tightly. He remembered all too well those painful months after Thorin disappeared. "Don't stay away so long this time, okay?" he said, so only Thorin could hear. "Promise me you won't." 

"Minutes," his uncle assured him. "Ask Kili. He can get me back this time." He took place in the seat, took a deep breath, and nodded to Balin to administer a fluid. Dwalin had taken up a seat next to him, and was already unconscious.

Kili eventually tugged Fili away from the room and behind a ceiling-high window from which they could see the room and its two travelers. Dis squeezed Thorin's hand once before she too had to leave it. 

"Are you ready?" whispered Kili. 

Fili watched the spot where his uncle lay with bated breath. Although he wasn't surprised when Thorin vanished, the sight was still a jarring one, and his breath hitched. 

"How long, Kili?" he asked, after a minute passed in silence. 

Stopwatch in hand, Kili leaned forward until he nearly pressed against the glass. "Should have been back," he pondered, though he quickly added, "Not that he's been gone too long," so as not to make Fili worried. The first time should have just been the trip and then getting back as soon as possible. "Increased heart rate," he noticed on the monitor. "Dwalin, too. Balin?" 

"Excitement," Balin grinned. "Dopamine levels are peaking. They are fine." 

"Are they in Middle Earth?" Fili wanted to know. "Right now?" 

"Alive and healthy," Kili smiled. "Want to go?" 

"Shouldn't we wait to see if they return?" Fili's hands had begun to sweat. "You said it would only be a few minutes." 

"Do you want to?" Kili looked forward to joining the others there, to see old friends again and to find out about what happened while they were gone. He squeezed Fili's hand though, and just like that, Dwalin returned. 

"Dwalin!" Fili exclaimed. "I... Kili, can we go in there with him?" The older man was already sitting up on the padded chair, trying to get to his feet. 

Balin chuckled. "Oh, Dwalin will need to rest for an hour before he does anything else." Dwalin did look a bit shaken along the edges. "But go on, talk to him." 

Fili tried not to rush into the room, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he ended up hurrying to Dwalin's side. "Mr. Dwalin," he sat down on the edge of the chair next to Dwalin's feet. "Kili says you're to rest a bit more. Did you make it to Middle Earth? Did Uncle?" 

His brother had moved up next to him, but didn't speak. He checked Dwalin for signs of a jump gone wrong, took his pulse and administered a tonic to help regain his strength. 

"Funny, isn't it?" Kili said while Dwalin started looking better. "We have that large ring, but we don't actually need to go through it anymore. It's a portal though. We just hooked it up to the machines, like the first time we got sucked in. It's like... think of it as the Internet, and these wires here are your connection." He took a step back, then nodded at Dwalin. 

"Uh. How long was I gone?" the tall man asked, still groggy. "Thorin is... I think he is fine, He was when I was there. Why isn't he here yet?" 

"No more than three minutes," Fili assured him. "Dwalin, what did you see over there?" 

It made Dwalin less restless. "Only three? Oh Fili, it was like we left it. I don't know about the Blight or the dragon, there was only grass, but it's noon there now, sunny, a mild day." He leaned his head back and breathed out. When his eyes shut, in the seat next to him materialized a man. Thorin's heart was racing and he was laughing—Dwalin responded with a grin from ear to ear without opening his eyes—and he tried to speak, but his throat was dry. 

Fili reached out to Thorin, putting a hand on each of his uncle's shoulder. "Welcome back," he grinned crookedly. "What did you see?" 

Kili nudged him aside to start looking to Thorin's vitals, leaving Thorin incapable of answering the question. He did offer an apologetic look—it was necessary to make sure that Thorin was physically all right first. 

Thorin let it all happen but, still laughing, he replied, "We were on a plain. The sun was shining, and the weather was good," at which Dwalin inexplicably started to laugh as well. "I'm going back there when I can. I could see the city in the distance, and I want to see it." 

"This is... well, it's nuts," Fili whispered softly. And yet, the two travelers seemed filled with joy—the fine lines around their eyes and mouths were smoothed away. Uncle had looked tired when he left, but now seemed invigorated. 

Fili had stopped being reckless when he was sent away to live with Frerin after that disastrous night shortly before Kili's eighteenth birthday. His life had a set path, and he erred on the side of caution because he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

His eyes studied Kili who, despite his somber mood, had an air of optimism. Kili wanted to go back. They all did. Kili, the blond suspected, wanted to stay and eventually live in Middle Earth. 

It was his mother who ended up leading him away to the coffee maker, pouring him a cup and offering him to sit down at one of the tables in the Saturday afternoon emptiness of the cafeteria. "What are you thinking, Fili?" she wanted to know. "Does it scare you, what they did?" 

Fili shook his head. "No, it's not _what_ they did," he clarified. "I mean, I was there, you were there. It happened, as much as I'd like to pretend we dreamed it. I'm more worried about _why_ they want to go back. And what does it mean for the rest of the world once other people find out, Mom?" 

The cafeteria was devoid of people listening in on them. Dis spoke freely. "Other people are not supposed to find out. Thorin told me the military who ran the first trials have not been informed. Technically, I don't think the company knows what is going on under their noses. I suspect Balin of making that call, but Thorin has a lot of influence. Though yes, they can't keep doing this. It will have to stop eventually." 

"Is this even about the game anymore?" Fili sighed impatiently. "Or is it something else?" 

"...I'm thinking of going through, Fili. I've lived a life and been a mother. I've been a wife. My last child has left the house, and it's terribly quiet. I'd like to be something else again." 

"W-what about your museum?" Fili wondered. "Who's going to run it? Has everyone but me forgotten how dangerous it was in Middle Earth?" 

His mother placed her hand upon his. "I haven't, I know it is. Which is why I want to go there and see for myself. If I can live in a village and be safe, that would be acceptable, but I also want to see the world—a different one, without cellphones and computers and cars. And," she bit her lip, "it feels like home. I'm sorry, my son, but it does." 

Fili nodded. "We met some very good people there, didn't we? I would like to see Ori again..." his voice trailed off, one finger tracing the edge of his cup. "Mom, I love Kili. I _need_ him. I could be happy anywhere on earth—or anywhere else—as long as I knew I could be with him. We need your support. _I_ need your blessing." 

A silence stretched in the cafeteria. She had turned a blind eye to what was passing between their sons, and they had done their best to keep it out of her sight, for which she had been glad. Dis had expected that that would be all there was to the discussion. She sighed and closed her eyes. "You're my sons, Fili," she said. "I love you both with all my heart. You have to understand why I can't tell anyone about you. They wouldn't get it." Dis offered a weary smile. "Though I think I do." 

"I don't need you to tell anyone," Fili's eyes were watery with tears. "I just... I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want you to be ashamed of me. But I also cannot stop loving him. I tried, I did. But I can't." 

"Shh." Dis hated to see one of her boys cry. "I've never been ashamed of you. That I don't always agree with your choices doesn't mean that I'm ashamed, Fili. I can't be ashamed of a person who lives so honestly." She swirled the last contents of her coffee in the cup. "Does that mean you are okay with me going back there?" 

"You all seem to feel so drawn to return to Middle Earth," Fili lowered his shoulders in defeat. "I won't lie. I did feel stronger there. But I was also never more scared in my life. So what is it? Is it the treasure? The power?" 

"I feel more alive when I'm there," she sighed. "Sure, it's dangerous, but there aren't mortgages, and nobody will look at you funny if you take a run through the city. There are less rules to keep in mind. The air is different, too. There are places of the world I've never heard of and that I never will." 

Fili nodded in agreement. "You're right about the air. In places it was very sweet. Except when Smaug was messing it up. It's nothing like the air quality here in California." He felt he'd already spoken enough about his fears, and idly stirred his coffee. 

"Fili," Dis lay a hand over her son's. "I was watching you, when you and Kili took down Smaug. You were incredibly brave and selfless. You took action without thinking and just protected your family and friends." 

"There are others who might call that sort of thing _foolish,_ " Fili scoffed. 

"Not me," Dis squeezed his hand. "You saved Kili's life. All our lives." 

Fili nodded. "I won't let anything happen to him—or any of you," he assured her. 

She smiled then. "I bet he would say the same thing. I'm proud to have sons like you and him. Be good to him. He might talk big, but he needs someone who takes care of him." Dis let her eyes travel the view from the window leisurely. A peace emanated from her. Big things were happening that day, but she wasn't in a rush. "Another coffee before we go back?" 

"Only if it's decaf," Fili agreed readily. "I'm already on pins and needles."

\- - - - - 

"It was amazing, brother!" Dwalin was telling Balin. "I'm ready to go back. Ready to find our friends."

His brother pushed his glasses up his nose and put down some printed readings, inspecting the live charts in front of him. "Yes, I suppose you are. Shall we put you asleep again?" He looked at Kili. "You want to go too, this time? Fili too? I'll get the dosages ready." 

"We'll go into town this time," Kili whispered to Fili. "Extended stay of a few hours, ready to return as soon as we signal Balin. Remember when Bilbo talked about the Shire? It looks like we're on top of that. There's a small village on a walking distance where we can sleep. Will you come?" 

The hopeful look in Kili's eyes was impossible to resist. 

"Just like that?" Fili chuckled. "I hadn't expected when I woke up this morning that I'd be traveling back to Middle Earth. But I won't be letting you go alone, Kili. Yes, I suppose, I'm in," he nodded. 

"Just until tomorrow morning," Kili promised him at once as he pulled him into a hug, too happy that Fili had said yes. "Just like that, but I promise no longer than you want." He looked around if anyone was listening to them, before leaning in and admitting, "I have designs for a pocket device that could transfer us there and back again without the lab." 

Kili hopped onto another chair and patted the one next to him hopefully for Fili. "Scary, isn't it?" he chuckled. 

" _You_ are scary," Fili smiled nervously. "Scary smart, Kili. I do feel a little sick. I think it's nerves." He startled as Thorin put a hand on his arm. 

"It'll be all right, Fili," his uncle assured him. "You have to go. You have to see." 

"The sleep will calm you," added Kili. It helped that next to him, Thorin—just having traveled between worlds—was up and ready to go again only a little later. Kili stole a quick kiss, at which their mother cleared her throat, and allowed Balin to administer the serum with his hand holding onto Fili's. 

The butterflies in Fili's stomach did several flips, then started to fly in formation, swooping and fluttering lazily. 

It took him a few moments to realize that the butterflies were fluttering just above his face and that he was lying in a meadow. He sat up with a gasp. "Kili?" 

Long blades of grass tickled his skin. Ants curiously crawled around his hand, and the sand clung to his palm when he lifted it. It must have rained the day before. Thorin had been right; with a pleasantly warm sun overhead and a spotless sky, the weather was pleasant like it had been in their own world. But he was no longer in that world. 

Music came from the direction of a small settlement in the distance—flutes and drums. The Shire, it had to be. 

Before Fili could turn his attention to the place, he was tackled to the ground by a brunet with stubble and a familiar scent. 

"We're here!" Kili laughed, rolling them around. He had asked Balin to give them five minutes before their mom would join for this very reason. "How are you feeling? Hungry?" 

"I can't believe it," Fili whispered, watching the butterflies dance away over the tops of the long grass. "Kili, you are a genius. You and Uncle... this is... well, it might be the biggest breakthrough in the history of science, ever!" Fili didn't add to this how utterly useless his lack of participation in the project made him feel. 

Fili surveyed his surroundings. "This really does look like the concept drawings Thorin showed me. Do you think Bilbo's home?" 

"Why not find out?" Kili had been here a few seconds longer than his brother, and he hadn't investigated it before. Only the security of the area had been important—until now. He helped Fili up, inspected him. They were dwarves again. Their built was sturdier and their height less. Kili still had a few inches on Fili, whereas even without weapons and his rough leather coat, Fili looked stronger. 

"Maybe I should try forging," Kili mused when considering that he needed to pack some more muscle. He tugged Fili along eagerly. Once or twice as they made their way down the worn path to The Shire, he paused to look at Fili and grinned from ear to ear. 

Kili was the happiest man in the world—this one, and the other.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This MMORPG-AU was a strange departure from anything we've done in the past. We thank you all for your patience and support.
> 
> We're already several chapters into a new Aidean RPF AU set in Galway, Ireland. We hope you'll come along for the next ride.


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